- Violence between taxi associations Codeta and Cata in Delft, Khayelitsha and Mfuleni made it hard for matrics to reach exams.
- The Western Cape Education Department let some candidates write closer to home, and Codeta and Cata have apologised to passengers.
Matric learners in Delft, Khayelitsha and Mfuleni wrote their English Paper 1 exam on Wednesday while taxi violence between Codeta and Cata made it hard for them to reach their exam centres.
The Western Cape Department of Education allowed learners from affected areas to write at schools closer to them.
Provincial Minister of Education Jaco Londt said taxi and gang-related violence across parts of Cape Town had created serious safety and transport problems for matric candidates.
“We immediately alerted examination centres and put contingency measures in place. A small number of candidates had to be redirected to alternative centres but were ultimately able to write,” Londt said.
The department will keep monitoring the situation. Londt said candidates should contact their schools immediately to tell them about the situation and possible delays, and the schools will advise them.
Learners who need help can also call the department’s Safe Schools helpline on 0800 45 46 47. The department says police visibility can be arranged where necessary, and schools can ask for psychosocial support.
“It is deeply unfortunate that our candidates had to endure this additional stress before such an important examination. We appeal to all parties to ensure that calm prevails so that our candidates can travel safely and focus on their examinations,” Londt said.
Buyiswa Tede, a parent in Delft, said her child could not travel to write at a school in Langa, and wrote at a school near her instead.
“We are grateful for what the education department did because our kids wouldn’t have been able to reach their schools because of the taxi violence. They might get killed or injured because it is not only drivers or owners who are being shot but also passengers. Allowing them to write at schools next to them was a good move; they saved lives,” Tede said.
Nophelele Magatya, a parent from Mfuleni, said her child goes to school in Lower Crossroads in Philippi East, but wrote in Mfuleni.
“We are glad that the department came up with this idea; at least they will be able to walk to those schools. I hate the taxi industry because when they are fighting, they also kill innocent people,” Magatya said.
Police say they are intensifying operations in the affected areas, while discussions continue to find a solution to the dispute.
Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi warned that more drastic measures could be taken if the violence continues or major roads are blocked.
“We have already so far arrested people related to the issues of taxi violence and those cases are running in court,” Dyantyi said.
He said police cannot give the number of people arrested or cases opened, because some of the cases might be linked to one another.
The Western Cape Department of Mobility is investigating whether Cata and Codeta have the legal right to operate on the affected routes, and is seeking an urgent court order to clarify operating rights.
Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku met Codeta and Santaco on Thursday, together with the City of Cape Town’s Rob Quintas. Cata did not attend, saying it had commitments outside the province, according to Cape Town Etc.
The government said it was disappointed. A further meeting with both associations is planned for Monday, 2 November.
Nceba Enge, chairperson of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), apologised to passengers.
“We are sorry for the fear, delays, and inconvenience caused by what is currently happening, and we will be meeting with the government, SANTACO, and CATA regarding the situation that we are in,” Enge said.
Nkululeko Sityebi, chairman of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata), also apologised to passengers for the violence. He said the association has not yet released a statement on the situation.
