Taxi violence in Cape Town: Committee urges affected scholar transport operators to report to WCED

Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries called on the Department of Basic Education on Saturday to give guidance on the ongoing taxi violence in Cape Town’s townships.

According to committee chairperson Mr Makhi Feni, the violence broke out just as end-of-year examinations began, and some scholar transport was targeted.

Feni said Grade 12 learners were reportedly among those affected. “This concerns the committee,” Feni stated.

He also warned that harm was not only physical.

“Yes, there may be no learner affected physically, but the trauma our children experienced should concern us all,” he said.

Delft taxi rank shootings endangered commuters

According to the committee, tensions in the Western Cape taxi industry had simmered since Tuesday.

They erupted into full view on Wednesday and Thursday.

Some taxi operators were reportedly killed at the Delft taxi rank on Thursday morning, when operators shot at one another during peak rush hour and put many commuters’ lives at risk.

Feni said the indiscriminate nature of the shootings deeply concerned the committee.

“Some of the vehicles that seem to be targeted are used by many as scholar transport,” he explained.

He said learners should never be caught up in such violence.

“This kind of violence we’ve witnessed must never occur or affect learners,” Feni added.

Support for pupils and transport operators

Feni said the matter was not only a concern for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) but also for the national department.

He asked for information on the learners involved and the help they were receiving. “We need details on which learners have been affected and what kind of support they are getting,” he said.

He argued that it was not enough that learners simply made it to their exam venues. “It is not enough to just appreciate that children arrived at exam centres,” he claimed.

Feni said counselling and safe travel in and out of townships should be a priority.

He questioned what the WCED planned for learners who missed an exam or arrived late.

“If there is any learner who could not write or arrived late, what plans are there from the WCED to get those children up to speed before the year is lost to another taxi violence?” Feni asked.

He urged affected scholar transport operators to report to the WCED so it could record accurate numbers of affected learners.