A staggering 2 400 learners were prevented by members of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) from attending classes on Monday 13 January, according to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
In a letter dated Saturday 11 February, addressed to parents, the Western Cape Scholar Transport Association (WCSTA) wrote that it had decided to halt operations on Monday after threats were made on Thursday 9 February against their members. ” read the letter.
The move left parents and learners in limbo. City Vision understands that more children were once again left stranded yesterday (15 February) after vehicles were ordered to stop their operations.
However, Codeta was quick to refute the claims.
Ncebe Enge, secretary for Codeta in the province dismissed the claims as “baseless”.
He said the organisation had not “authorised” anyone to block children from attending schools.
“Today (Monday), we held a meeting where we were looking at a number of issues affecting the taxi industry like your bylaws, Uber, schooler transport and many more. What we will do next week is to ensure that the Budget Speech doesn’t take place,” he warned.
“We cannot continue to allow buses we don’t know who owns them, to operate in our area, transporting our children while we have transport. Kutheni bezokunyathela kumgca wenye indoda (why are they operating on our turf),” he asked.
Enge called for a “fair share” but not these bus operators taking a “lion’s share”.
In a statement, WCED also alleged that minibus taxi association members have been threatening and harassing “our contracted drivers to prevent them from transporting learners”.
It further said this was an attempt to muscle in on transport contracts and to extort money from the WCED.
According to Kerry Mauchline, spokesperson for provincial minister of education David Maynier, the blockade included “our special needs learners, where a driver was forced to turn back as he feared for his safety and took learners home”.
“This comes after a taxi strike kept over 128 000 children and 2 400 staff members home from school last year, and disrupted the matric exams.
“Minibus taxi associations are demonstrating that in order to line their own pockets, they are willing to compromise the matric exams and compromise teaching and learning in our schools, sacrificing the best interest of our children,” she said.
“The minibus taxi associations appear to be demanding that we allocate transport contracts to them without following tender processes, which we cannot and will not do. It is simply illegal,” she said.
“Let us be clear: the Western Cape Education Department will not meet with any minibus taxi association until they terminate their blockade, and teaching and learning resume without disruption,” said Mauchline.