The High Court ordered the provincial Department of Roads and Transport to pay Putco more than R154.4 million within five court days.
South Africa’s subsidised public transport system has come under judicial scrutiny after two separate court rulings highlighted mounting legal, financial and operational pressure across provincial bus networks relied on by hundreds of thousands of commuters.
In two divergent judgments delivered in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the courts reached opposite conclusions on subsidised bus contracts - but both cases underscored the central role public transport plays in keeping workers, pupils and vulnerable commuters moving.
In Gauteng, the High Court ordered the provincial Department of Roads and Transport to pay Putco more than R154.4 million within five court days after the bus operator approached the court over unpaid contracts linked to subsidised commuter services.
Judge AJ Millar criticised the department for repeatedly failing to honour payment obligations despite previous litigation between the parties.
