KZN education department to be hauled to court again over scholar transport

Education advocacy group Equal Education will once again haul the KwaZulu-Natal department of education to court over scholar transport on Wednesday.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group said that it was taking the department back to court to put pressure on it to release the provincial scholar transport policy which should have been available by December 2018.

The policy is expected to provide a comprehensive plan to provide scholar transport in the province.

In 2017 the body, along with non-governmental organisation Section27 successfully took the department to court where an order was granted, by consent, compelling the department to provide scholar transport for 12 schools in Nquthu, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The department also committed to file a report to the court on plans to improve transport for pupils.

However, Equal Education says it is still waiting for the department to honour that commitment.

"We are frustrated and angered that it is necessary to go to court for government to be responsive," Equal Education said in a statement. 

On Wednesday Equal Education will hold a picket outside the Pietermaritzburg high court where it will be asking the court to compel the department to live up to the court order. 

KZN education spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said that he could not go into detail about the cause of the delay ahead of the court date.

Mthethwa did, however, say that an amendment in the scholar transport policy had some effect on how the process was carried out. 

The department of transport is cited as a third respondent in the matter as they are responsible for implementing the policy.