'We don't negotiate with a gun to our head': Education MEC as taxi blockade strands scholars in Cape Town

More than 5,000 schoolchildren were stranded in Khayelitsha and neighbouring areas of Cape Town as minibus taxi associations were accused of staging a "blockade" of scholar transport services.

Education MEC David Mynier said due to escalating threats from the taxi industry, which had blocked several routes in Khayelitsha and Mfuleni, “parents now find themselves with the terrible choice between keeping their children safe, and making sure their education can continue".  

“They should never have to choose between the two. It is unacceptable that the illegal blockade by minibus taxi associations escalated [on Monday], with over 5,000 learners being prevented from attending school in Khayelitsha and neighbouring areas,” he said. 

Maynier accused the taxi industry of attempting “to muscle in on transport contracts and to extort money from the Western Cape education department”, by preventing contracted learner transport - mostly busses - from operating.

Academia Primary School in Khayelitsha had an absenteeism of 90% on Monday. About 2,400 pupils from Khayelitsha and surrounding areas missed school last week as a result of the stand-off. 

“The minibus taxi mafia have now escalated their action, by threatening to offload learners from any transport not operated by the associations, including the cars of parents doing everything they can to get their children to school safely,” charged Maynier.

But the taxi industry has defended itself, saying barricading the roads is a “cry for help” after the provincial education department disbanded discussions to give the industry a slice of the scholar transportation cake. 

Nceba Enge, general secretary of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), said despite promises from the department’s senior leadership “to hear us out” about a possible partnership between the department and industry, management simply disengaged without any explanation. 

“We have minutes of the meeting that we had with one of the senior officials last March clearly stating that having a partnership is possible. When we followed up on this meeting in April the official [name withheld] didn’t give us anything tangible and said the education MEC was still new and must be given a chance to familiarise himself with the department systems.” 

“When we followed up in May and afterwards, he [official] simply ignored us, and has been ignoring us up to now. So by barricading the roads we are crying out for help....it’s our way of saying ‘listen to us’.” 

Enge said the taxi industry will meet the provincial departments of transport and public works after an invitation to meet. 

“We don’t know if it will yield anything. We haven’t received any indication that education officials will be part of it or not, but we will attend as we are also concerned about the schooling of our children.” 

Maynier said schools are scrambling to ensure pupils do not fall too far behind, by developing work packages and keeping in contact with parents. 

“What the minibus taxi associations are doing is a crime and cannot be justified by any of the false claims that they have made to the press.” 

Maynier said a plan of action was in place, which included SAPS operations.

“We are in the process of finalising an affidavit in order to lay a criminal complaint against the taxi associations with the SAPS, and are exploring the possibility of an urgent interdict to terminate the blockade.

“We will not meet with any minibus taxi association until they end the blockade and stop terrorising our children and our parents. Our government is united ...we do not negotiate with a gun to our head."

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