Despite an undertaking by the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) not to intimidate, threaten, or prevent learner transport from operating, minibus taxi associations continued their illegal blockade today.
As a result, 1 800 children who would ordinarily travel on our contracted transport missed school today.
Principals reported that some busses in Mfuleni were stopped and prevented from transporting learners, leaving children – some of them in primary school – stranded in the rain.
What the minibus taxi mafia is doing is a crime, and cannot be justified.
We have taken decisive action against those who are preventing our children from attending school to serve their own commercial interests:
Minibus taxi associations are acting directly against our learners’ best interests by preventing children from attending school in order to extract contracts from the state.
We will not tolerate extortion attempts that violate our children’s constitutional right to education.
Kerry Mauchline
Spokesperson to Minister David Maynier
Western Cape Ministry of Education
Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za