Many pupils expected to miss school during Santaco taxi strike

As the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) prepares for its provincial strike in the Western Cape on Wednesday, the education department said it anticipates high absenteeism at schools on the day.

Taxi strike

Taxi drivers affiliated to Santaco are expected to take to the streets in the Western Cape to voice their grievances over a number of issues including unfair impounding of vehicles and not legalising existing minibus taxis.

“No vehicles should operate on Wednesday, 22 February. We suggest that you park all vehicles at the taxi ranks or at your homes. Please do not engage in any acts of violence, intimidation or destruction,” said Santaco.

School transport

Western Cape MEC for Education David Maynier said the taxi strike is likely to affect other modes of transport as well.

“The province-wide strike will not only affect those learners who rely on taxis to get to school, but also those using other forms of transport, given the impact on traffic, buses, and on parents’ concerns about their children getting safely to school,” he said.

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Maynier said a taxi strike in Cape Town during the matric exams last year put two large exam sittings at risk.

“Fortunately, our schools and districts were able to put contingency measures in place to ensure candidates reached their exams safely. However, over 128 000 learners in other grades missed school for each of the two days of the strike.”

Taxi blockade

Meanwhile, the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) denied that it reneged on its promise not to intimidate, threaten or prevent pupils from being transported in the Western Cape.

This comes after Maynier said taxi associations continued their “illegal blockade” on Monday.

Codeta spokesperson Andile Khanyi said this is not true.

“There was no blockade. We heard there was a blockade in Emfuleni that took place yesterday. But we have called the working committee and asked what’s going on. They said there was nothing because the drivers were there and driving. So, I do not really know where this information from the MEC comes from,” said Khanyi.

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