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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng will submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to Premier Panyaza Lesufi to release a forensic report on the bus subsidies issued between 2017 and 2019.

In December 2024, the DA submitted a PAIA application request to the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics for the Price Water House Coopers (PwC) report on the bus subsidies given to various bus companies.

However, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics sent our request to the Gauteng Provincial Treasury who referred our request back to the Department of Roads and Logistics. This back and forth between departments is worrying and makes one wonder what the Transport department is trying to hide.

Last year it came to light that over R12 million in irregular expenditure occurred during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 financial years. From the reports seen by the DA Gauteng, it is clear that the subsidies were not processed accordingly and the companies contracted to the department to provide transport for our residents were paid every month without due process being followed.

We will submit the PAIA application to Premier Lesufi to make the report public. Should this report expose corruption we will ensure that officials, politicians and service providers implicated face consequences for their actions.

A DA Gauteng-led provincial government will immediately make the PwC report public. Furthermore, an audit will be conducted immediately to determine which bus companies have unduly benefitted from the bus subsidies. Immediate action will be taken to implement the correct method of calculating and distributing the bus subsidy to all the companies.

Issued by Evert Du Plessis MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Logistics