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The Standing Committee on Appropriations today raised several concerns regarding the Department of Transports' (DOT's) performance and infrastructure priorities during a briefing on the 2025 Appropriation Bill.

The DOT has provided spending plans and briefed the committee on identified mega projects that are covered in the 2025 allocation for public infrastructure investments.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Mmusi Maimane, expressed alarm over the persistent reliance on acting officials in key leadership roles within the department. "It is deeply concerning that while we are expected to appropriate significant funds that are over a trillion rands, the department has not appointed permanent officials in vital positions. This practice undermines accountability and weakens governance," said Mr Maimane. He said leadership issues in the department need urgent intervention in order to stabilise.

Mr Maimane also raised concerns about the Moloto Road project, noting that the road has cost taxpayers approximately R15 billion, notwithstanding the historic spend on the road over the past ten years. "This is quite exorbitant for a 167-kilometre road and nearly three times the cost compared to another country such as China," emphasised Mr Maimane.

The committee welcomed progress made at the South African Airways (SAA) and urged the department to do more to restore the airline to its former competitive standing. However, members of the committee voiced concern over revelations that R1.5 billion owed to SAA remains trapped in foreign countries, told the committee that despite several agreements between South Africa and Zimbabwe, little progress has been made.

The committee called for diplomatic intervention at the highest level to recover funds which will improve SAA's liquidity. Furthermore, the committee welcomed the suspension of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) Chief Executive Officer and calls for urgent resolution and accountability. The committee also called on the RAF Board to act decisively to root out corrupt practices and to resolve the growing number of unsettled claims.

"We are increasingly concerned with executive bonuses and golden handshakes in a department that oversees deteriorating road infrastructure. It is unacceptable that senior officials receive performance incentives when service delivery is clearly lagging," added Mr Maimane.

Committee members also raised concerns over the growing number of trucks on the roads and the associated increase in traffic accidents. It also urged the department to explore a shift from road to rail for goods transport, which would reduce congestion and road maintenance costs. In addition, the high costs of toll gates particularly in Mpumalanga were criticised as an undue burden on commuters.

The committee also questioned inefficiencies and duplication in transport-related agencies. It noted with concern that entities like the Road Traffic Management Corporation invoice each other billions, which could be avoided if these entities were consolidated under the Department of Transport.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

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The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries, Mr Makhi Feni, has called on the Department of Higher Education to be proactive in plugging the gap left by the US cuts in grant funding that occurred earlier in 2025.

Mr Feni said a deliberate drive is needed, even if it means going on tour abroad to mobilise resources for research purposes. “The grant funding impact was massive and at a time when South Africa found itself operating in a fiscally constrained environment. We must not allow a situation where community-based research programmes suffer and get aborted due to this decision,” he said.

The Minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, had informed the committee that work to address this issue is being done. In addition, the government had opted for a collaborative approach, as cuts affected programmes administer by the departments of Health and of Science and Technology. Minister Nkabane said a technical team has been set up to coordinate and collate the affected programmes.

Mr Feni said the committee welcomes the news that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation is contributing to resource mobilisation. “We would appreciate if all these efforts yield results. Our institutions are research intensive and that is one area we excel in and could not lose momentum. The committee is looking forward to receiving the report on the sector-wide impact of the funding cuts,” Mr Feni said.

Minister Nkabane led a strong departmental delegation to present the department's annual performance and strategic plans.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.