Foreign Buses Get Contracts While Locals Suffer | Johannesburg News

South African bus operators are furious at Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, accusing her of favoring foreign companies that flout transport laws—like smuggling undocumented immigrants—while sidelining local firms. These same foreign operators are then handed lucrative government contracts for repatriating migrants, a move operators say is corrupt and steals jobs from South African youth. The uproar began when the minister blamed local operator Phumudzo Mukhwathi for breaking cross-border rules; Mukhwathi denies it, calling it retaliation for exposing corruption. He estimates 344 million rand spent on repatriation is wasted, arguing the funds should go to border security, health workers, or public works. He’s pushing for bilateral agreements with neighboring countries to share costs and hold them accountable for illegal crossings. Operators feel targeted for trying to fix the system—and they’re not backing down. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2d28d268f94c1e1c