Learner transport services across the Western Cape have been suspended from today, Tuesday 6 October, after the South African National Small Bus Operators Council, Western Cape (SANSBOC-WC) said the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) failed to meet a deadline to respond to contractors’ concerns over soaring diesel costs.

SANSBOC-WC issued an urgent notice to parents, guardians and schools at 15:00 on Monday 5 October, announcing that services would be suspended with immediate effect.

Deadline passed without response, says SANSBOC-WC

According to SANSBOC-WC, the organisation held an emergency members’ meeting in Worcester on Thursday 1 October, after which it gave government until 12:00 on Monday 5 October to provide a substantive response to the financial crisis facing learner transport contractors.

SANSBOC-WC says that deadline passed without a meaningful response from the WCED, prompting the suspension.

Diesel costs at the heart of the crisis

SANSBOC-WC says the main driver of the crisis is the extraordinary rise in diesel prices. According to the notice, diesel increased from R17.69 per litre in January 2026 to R28.68 per litre in September 2026.

SANSBOC-WC projected that coastal 50ppm diesel could reach approximately R31.80 per litre from Wednesday 7 October, noting at the time that this was a projection and not yet the official October price.

The official fuel price announcement by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, on Monday 5 October confirms a significant increase effective from 7 October. The price of 50ppm diesel (0.005% sulphur), the grade referred to by SANSBOC-WC, will increase by R3.24 per litre.

Applied to SANSBOC-WC’s September figure of R28.68 per litre, the official increase would bring the price to approximately R31.92 per litre, slightly above SANSBOC-WC’s projection of R31.80.

According to the minister’s statement, the increase is driven by higher crude oil prices, with Brent crude rising from $87.89 to $101 per barrel due to continued US and Iran tensions, uncertainty regarding the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, higher shipping costs and decreasing inventories. International product prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin also increased due to supply shortages.

If the projection materialises, diesel will be approximately 80% more expensive than at the start of the year, SANSBOC-WC stated.

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Repeated attempts to find a solution

SANSBOC-WC says the situation did not arise overnight. According to the organisation, it has repeatedly engaged with the WCED and relevant government structures about the rising diesel costs and the urgent need for relief. The matter was followed up and escalated to top management level.

Despite these efforts, no meaningful response was received by the deadline, according to SANSBOC-WC.

Contractors cannot operate at a loss

In its message to parents, guardians and schools, SANSBOC-WC apologised for the disruption and said its members want to keep transporting children. However, the organisation said contractors cannot continue operating indefinitely at a financial loss while fuel and other operating costs keep rising.

SANSBOC-WC described the decision to suspend services as not having been taken lightly.

Willing to engage

SANSBOC-WC says it remains willing to engage urgently with government should a meaningful intervention be forthcoming.

The organisation has asked parents, guardians and schools to rely on official communication from SANSBOC-WC or their learner transport contractor for further developments, and has directed queries about learner transport arrangements to the relevant district education department.

WCED requested more time, meeting later today

Western Cape Minister of Education Jaco Londt says the WCED has requested more time to provide SANSBOC-WC with a substantive response, given that a meeting has already been scheduled for Wednesday 7 October to consider the issue and the affordability of a proposed diesel relief measure.

Londt says he has been engaging in constructive discussions with SANSBOC-WC chairperson Juan Swanepoel, and will meet SANSBOC leadership later today, 6 October.

“We trust that after today no learner will be negatively impacted for the rest of the week by this matter, especially vulnerable learners who depend on this transport to access school, and our matriculants who are days away from their final NSC examinations,” Londt said.

He described this as a crucial period for schools and asked for cooperation from all parties so that teaching and learning are not disrupted.

Londt said the department is still awaiting feedback from schools to determine the impact on the first day of term.

This article was updated to include Londt’s response.

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