More than 287 000 learners were unable to go to school on Friday, 4 August 2023 due to the taxi strike. It is also estimated that 9 508 teachers and staff were also prevented from doing their work.
The taxi strike was announced on Thursday afternoon leaving parents and commuters with extremely little time to make alternative transport arrangements. This left thousands of people, including young school children, stranded.
Thursday afternoon proved particularly problematic for our schools, when the strike was announced with immediate effect, leaving some of our learners, teachers and staff stranded. Leaving children, especially our youngest learners, stranded is unforgivable.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says the impact has been most pronounced in metro education districts, challenges have been faced across the province, emphasising the far-reaching consequences of the strike on education.
While schools will be open on Monday, 7 August, it is expected that many learners will not be able to attend classes as it is simply too unsafe to travel from their homes. The violence and unrest that occurred last week prompted parents to keep their children home, even those who do not typically rely on public transport.
The WCED says while the schools are expected to be open during the week, they suspended the #BackOnTrack classes scheduled for Saturdays. The #BackOnTrack initiative was aimed at recovering learning losses due to the learning losses experienced due to lockdowns in 2020 and the staggered school timetable in 2021.
Schools remain open, but Saturday’s #BackOnTrack classes have been cancelled. This means that the 14 000 learners offered extra classes to improve their learning outcomes will not be able to attend them because of the strike.
They warned that legal action will be taken against taxi associations who intimidate learners attempting to go to school or prevent learners' transport from operating in communities around the province.
We want to make it clear that if we see any acts of intimidation of learners travelling to school, or of our contracted Learner Transport Scheme busses, we will not hesitate to approach the court for another interdict against the minibus taxi associations.
They are also concerned that Grade 12 learners will be negatively impacted by the strike as they gear up for their final school examinations. Matric learners are set to participate in their mock exams in the coming days.
Careers Portal has several resources to assist matric learners in their preparation for the National Senior Certificate Examinations (NSC). This includes past papers and memorandums that learners can use to prepare for their upcoming examinations.
Impact Of Strike On Transport
While both the MiCiti buses and Golden Arrow buses announced they will be operating their normal services on Monday, commuters can expect delays. This is because several roads have been closed and/or blocked in the province due to the strike.
Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) has lost six buses, each worth millions, due to arson attacks since the start of the strike. A Golden Arrow bus driver was shot and injured in Khayelitsha last.
While the bus company has secured a court interdict interdict to stop acts of violence and intimidation, violent acts continued on Monday.
Commuters in Cape Town were advised to be cautious on the roads due to protest action. Several roads were blocked, closed and private vehicles were pelted with stones.
Roads were also blocked on the N2 towards Cape Town International Airport. While passengers are advised that operations are currently normal, they were advised to arrive four hours earlier for International flights and two hours earlier for domestic flights.
When Will The Taxi Strike End In Cape Town?
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) will continue with its strike in the Western Cape after talks to resolve the crises were suspended.
The union says they are open to talks with the government to find a speedy resolution to the issues and called on its operators not to interfere with other modes of transport and not to take part in any criminal activities.
