One way for the government to prove it means what it says about service delivery is to fire the buffoons responsible for chaos in the bus industry.

One way for the government to prove it means what it says about service delivery is to fire the buffoons responsible for chaos in the bus industry.

But we aren't holding our breath.

Almost every month over the past decade Sowetan has reported how kids can't get to schools, patients to hospitals and commuters to work because civil servants have failed to pay bus companies.

As a society we have decided to subsidise public transportation as a common good. The treasury budgets billions of tax rands to provide bus services for deserving commuters ranging from schoolkids and hospital patients to workers.

But the managers responsible for paying these funds just can't get their act together. They delay payments for months or years, ignoring the contracts the government has signed with the service providers.

Excuses have ranged from stolen plugs on their computers - go to the local shop to buy a replacement, duh - to some minor clerk falling pregnant. Now Parliament has heard that bus companies will go bust and 26000 workers will lose their jobs unless R1,2billion in outstanding subsidies is paid.

If the managers appointed to disburse these funds can't plan ahead or react to minor contingencies they clearly don't deserve their cheques.