MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  About 30 learners of Sao Bras High School in Mossel Bay have been stranded at home in recent weeks, unable to attend school due to the sudden pause in their daily transport.

These learners are residents of Brandwag, Ruiterbos and Sonskynvallei, communities located several kilometres outside town.

Their parents were informed on 17 April that this particular group of learners would no longer be transported to and from Mossel Bay with the school's bus service until an application to register all 30 of them for school transport has been approved by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

According to Bronagh Hammond, the WCED's communications director, learner transport is provided by the department through an application-based process, managed by schools and submitted to the WCED for approval in accordance with prescribed criteria and policy, following the standard WCED Learner Transport Scheme (LTS) approval process.

"There are learners who are new to the system and who therefore still require formal authorisation before they may be included on the learner transport scheme," said Hammond.

She clarified that although this particular group of learners are not allowed to use the bus services until they have been granted authorisation, the service as a whole has not been discontinued. 

Approved and registered learners in the Brandwag, Ruiterbos and Sonskynvallei communities have not been affected, she said.

"The learners currently being transported have been duly authorised, and the department is legally obliged to ensure that only authorised learners make use of the service. In addition, service providers are not eligible for reimbursement for the transportation of unauthorised learners," she said. 

Sudden pause in transport

Although the department says the group of learners were meant to be travelling with private transport throughout the time they have been waiting for the necessary authorisation, the parents say their children had still made use of the school bus service, despite a lack of approval, from January when the schools first opened until mid-April, based on an arrangement that allowed them access to it.

However, that arrangement came to a sudden end two weeks ago, resulting in the learners staying at home instead of attending school.

A community member speaking on behalf of the affected parents and learners, and who wishes to remain anonymous, claims the above-mentioned arrangement came to an end due to concerns about responsibility for the unauthorised learners, should a child become injured or find themselves in a dangerous situation while using the bus service.

He also alleges that either the school had not notified the WCED of the 30 additional learners early enough, or the department was delayed in submitting the applications for the use of the bus services. Both of these cases, he feels, should have been dealt with in January.

"If we were notified sooner, we would have been able to plan ahead," he says.

Parents concerned

Andrew Griffiths, a parent residing in Brandwag, a community 10km outside Mossel Bay, told the Advertiser he and the other parents in the affected areas thought the school transport for the 2026 academic year had been sorted.

Although Sao Bras does have a hostel for learners during the week, the costs of arranging transport for the weekends would not be affordable for the residents of lower-income communities.

"We are a poorer community. Not everyone has family living in Mossel Bay for our children to live with while they are in school," said Griffiths. "And not all of our parents are financially privileged to use private transport every day."

He added that private taxis often depart early in the mornings from Brandwag, which could pose a safety risk to learners who would likely arrive at school before daybreak, especially as the seasons change.

Community assistance

Following pleas from the affected communities, Mossel Bay's Mayor Dirk Kotzé sent a letter to the Western Cape Minister of Education, David Maynier, on 23 April urgently requesting that school transport for this particular group of learners be reinstated.

In the letter, Kotzé cited the belief that children's constitutional right to access basic education should remain protected and prioritised.

"By reinstating learner transport without further delay, we can uphold their rights and make a meaningful impact on their well-being," reads his letter.

Waiting game

Right now, for both the learners and parents, it seems to be a waiting game. The exact end date for the application processes, and whether or not learners have been approved by the WCED, has yet to be confirmed.

In the meantime, the learners are continuing with their schoolwork at home, which they receive from the school over WhatsApp.

The parents have expressed their deep concern that their children may drop out of school if they are unable to attend or keep up with their schoolwork, especially as the exam season draws closer.

They told the Advertiser they have been arranging alternative transport through carpooling among one another or with private taxis, but the costs of this are not sustainable, they say.

The WCED has confirmed the outcome of the applications will be shared once the application processes have been finalised. 

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’