The minibus taxi strike that started in Cape Town last Thursday afternoon has now been called off by the taxi association Santaco.
What was going to be a 5 day stoppage was dragging on as City and Provincial leaders couldn't reach agreement with the taxi association about the law enforcement issues that provoked the strike.
Violence that accompanied the strike lead to 5 deaths, 120 arrests, and many injuries.
On Thursday afternoon the City of Cape Town and Provincial leaders invited Santaco to resume negotiations after a few days without any significant violence. After some last minute negotiations on a few sticking points, a statement was released at 8:30pm by the taxi association.
Taxi operations are expected to start again early on Friday morning (11th August) which should also allow buses to operate again without any safety concerns.
In their statement the taxi association said they would spend the next two weeks dealing with the issue of the taxis that have been impounded by the City of Cape Town.
Statement from Santaco
"First and foremost, on behalf of SANTACO Western Cape, I convey our sincerest condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives during the Stay Away. We stand with you in this time of grief and offer our profound sympathies. We also extend our heartfelt sympathy to everyone who was negatively affected by the events of the past days."
Santaco Western Cape Chariperson, Mandla Hermanus said it saddened and disappointed Santaco that it had taken so long for all parties to find a resolution. Five people died in incidents directly related to the strike, which started on 3 August, as violence engulfed parts of Cape Town, while commuters across the province were left stranded and services were interrupted.
“The wellbeing of our community and the public at large has always been our top priority, and it pains us to witness the unnecessary pain and suffering that transpired.”
He said it had been agreed that the next 14 days would be used to work towards the release of the vehicles that had been wrongfully impounded.
"A heartfelt thank you goes out to each and every one of you for your patience, resilience, and unwavering resolve during these challenging times. We pledge our ongoing commitment to serve our communities with integrity, ensuring such incidents do not repeat in the future."
Impact On Schooling
The impact of the strike was extensive - with more than 800,000 learners unable to attend school earlier this week, and many schools being closed. A number of scholar transport drivers were not operating as well.
Western Cape Minister of Education David Maynier said that 60% of the learners in Western Cape schools were absent on Thursday. In addition, 12,026 staff members (21.5%) were absent and 48 schools were closed (3.1%).
Maynier notes, "We simply cannot afford to compromise our children’s futures by losing any more teaching and learning time when we are still trying to reverse learning losses from the Covid-19 pandemic."
While there are circumstances in which teachers and staff cannot safely get to school, there are those that are fortunate to travel safely to their place of work. It has been wonderful to hear stories of teachers’ genuine and real concern for their learners over the past week, particularly for our matriculants, who will be writing mock matric exams soon.
Maynier concludes, "I would like to thank all the teachers and staff members in areas directly affected by the strike who have rallied together to ensure that learners are being accommodated on arrival at their schools."
Furthermore, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, (SADTU) in the Western Cape issued a statement on Thursday condemning the impact of the strike on “poor, working-class learners” who are still feeling the impacts of school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sadtu called on the taxi industry to respect the right to education by declaring schools, public institutions and social services “immune” to the strike action.
“Taxi drivers and owners should play an active role in ensuring that schools are safe spaces for the children of their clients, which is the community,” it stated.
