The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport (DOT) is expected to rake in an estimated R2,354 billion from motor vehicle licence renewals in the current financial year.

Other revenue streams include traffic fines, penalties and forfeits, where the DOT is expected to collect R172 million and R159 million is estimated to be derived from learner and driver licence bookings.

This was discussed when the DOT presented its 2025/2026 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budget to the Finance Portfolio Committee at the KZN Legislature on Tuesday.

The DOT is expected to receive R3,462 billion in provincial road maintenance grants. Most of the DOT budget allocation is funded through the equitable share with an estimated at R8,817,264 billion.

The DOT receives funding for three national conditional grants for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the provincial road infrastructure, the subsidisation of public transport and the creation of job opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) projects. The total allocated against the conditional grant funding is estimated at R5 billion.

Despite the income derived, the DOT is expected to spend an estimated R9 billion on infrastructure planning and design, construction and maintenance of the provincial road network. The bulk of the department’s budget, approximately 70%, has been allocated for this.

There are 74 projects in the Durban region, including 62 for maintenance and repairs, and eight new infrastructure projects estimated to cost R964 million; in Ladysmith, 88 projects worth R947 million and 93 projects in the Pietermaritzburg region estimated at R915 million.

Funds are allocated for the payment of bus subsidies to bus operators totaling R1,492 billion. The subsidies are funded through the Public Transport Operations Grant (PTOG).

The DOT stated that funding related to Learner Transport Services goes towards the function of providing scholar transport services to learners travelling long distances to schools. The department will continue to administer the learner transport services programme on behalf of the Department of Education in the 2025/26 financial year with a budget of R341,154 million.

The DOT stated that the programme is composed of 85 contracts spread across 12 districts. The department is finalising new contracts which will commence in July 2025 as the current contracts come to an end in June 2025. The number of schools assisted in 2025/26 is 433 with 77,369 learners.

Finance committee member and MPL Marlaine Nair said that revenue stability is seemingly reliant on fines, the sale of assets and the recovery of staff debt, which are all unpredictable sources.

Nair raised concerns about adequate spend on preventative road maintenance versus reactive road maintenance.

“Last year when the finance committee went on oversight on some roads, an engineer mentioned that the roads were meant to be sprayed every five years to protect them from breaking into potholes. This was not done in the province,” Nair said.

The DOT also addressed staff shortages. Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Oversight (STACOV) and MPL, Lourens Johannes de Klerk (IFP) said an unfunded mandate on salary and wage agreement was a concern.

De Klerk suggested that the vacant posts not be filled and the money allocated should be used to cover the wage deficit. He suggested that wages should be budgeted accordingly.

MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma said he was concerned that some large companies were not completing road works. Duma also touched on weather conditions that were causing damage to road infrastructure and said the wage gap bill remains a constant problem. On scholar transport, Duma said he met with the MEC for Education and the Treasury department to discuss the matter.

“If we stop the learner transport system in the middle of the year, the education system will collapse. We want to overcome the vacancy situation,” Duma said.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za

licenses

KZN Transport Department expects R2,3 billion from motor vehicle licence renewals