Cape Town - Mfuleni parents are at their wit’s end with scholar transport issues, as Academia Primary School children have missed school due to the alleged intimidation of the bus driver by taxi drivers.
Speaking on behalf of affected parents and pupils, Nontsikelelo Manqamane said they were frustrated as their children have been home for more than a week.
“We met with the school principal this past weekend, where parents told him what the issues are as he said he was not informed of these challenges.
“Last week Tuesday, the bus driver was allegedly intimidated when he was completing his route along Mfuleni and Brentwood Park.
“Taxi drivers told him that he was not allowed to drive the children, and ordered him to offload the children and not complete his trip.
“This altercation was due to Codeta (Congress for Democratic Taxi Associations) allegedly having engaged the WCED (Western Cape Education Department) on a tender for transportation for school children in the area and because no solutions have come since last year, this is what they have resorted to.
“It is so unfair towards our children,” said Manqamane.
Manqamane said she and other parents were now incurring further costs to ensure that there were carers for their children during the day.
“I now have to make sure that he is sent to a trustworthy person during the day and I have to pay for that service.
“It is now cutting into an already constrained budget due to the selfishness of others.
“This is the case with other parents as well. My child, who is in Grade 1, cries every morning not wanting to go to the carer but I have no other choice.
“I have no other reliable transport to take my child to school in Khayelitsha, it’s very frustrating.
“All parents are crying for solutions, we want the best for our children,” said Manqamane.
Education MEC, David Maynier, said no engagements would be held with taxi organisations attempting to strong-arm solutions from the department.
“Last year, taxi associations disrupted schooling and the matric exams through a massive strike, leaving learners and schools scrambling to make alternate arrangements to get learners to school or their exam venues.
“The strike kept over 128 000 children and over 2 400 staff members home from school.
“Now the taxi associations are disrupting learner transport in an attempt to muscle in on legitimately-awarded learner transport contracts. The associations are reportedly intimidating drivers and demanding that they not operate.
“Let us be clear: the Western Cape Education Department will not meet with any taxi association until they terminate their blockade, and teaching and learning resume without disruption.
Our learners have a constitutional right to education, and they are being prevented from accessing it. And parents are now left worrying whether their child can get safely to school, despite the learner transport put in place for them. The actions of the associations are directly undermining the best interests of our children,” said Maynier.
General secretary of Codeta, Nceba Enge, said in March last year, they were to meet with the WCED where they were “looking at getting an opportunity to transport children to various schools in the Western Cape”.
“We were promised by the deputy chief that a follow-up meeting will be convened after engaging other stake-holders...we have waited ever since then up until today and nothing happened.
It is not nice now when people take action. We have been writing to (the WCED) without any response.
“People on the ground are tired and are now taking action which is not good for the children.
The focus should not just be on taxi operators but also on (WCED) for not meeting with us again. The way forward is these authorities should come forward and give a solution so that our children are no longer affected,” said Enge.
Cape Times