Congested Cape Town could severely affect the matric final exams

Western Cape education authorities have met with train service Metrorail and taxi bosses to ensure that pupils arrive at their examination venues on time.

Research shows that Cape Town has the worst traffic in South Africa and this year's TomTom Traffic Index ranked it as the world's 48th most congested city.

In addition‚ there are constant delays in train services as a result of vandalism and cable theft‚ among other things.

Thousands of matric candidates will start writing the 2017 National Senior Certificate examinations on October 24.

In a joint statement‚ Education MEC Debbie Schäfer and Transport MEC Donald Grant said they are concerned that candidates will not reach examination venues on time.

Candidates may be admitted to an examination location within one hour of the test starting. But the candidate will not be given extra time to complete the exam.

“I am appealing to all of our public transport partners‚ SANTACO‚ Metrorail‚ Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) and MyCiti‚ to take the necessary steps to ensure that scholars traveling to and from their examinations are not disrupted in any way during this crucial time‚” Grant said.

“We are committed to working closely with our partners to provide the necessary support to make sure that no scholar is prejudiced. Parents and learners must make use of the available avenues to report delays that may threaten their getting to their examinations on time.”

Schäfer added: “I encourage our matric candidates to be mindful of the fact that public transport can be unreliable and to ensure that they leave home earlier so as to make up for any possible delays. Given these implications‚ they should rather be at the venue early than risk being late.”

Last month the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry completed a survey with businesses in the city‚ investigating the effects of their commute to work and home. It emerged that Metrorail's continuous delays affect the “mental health and morale” of 94% of employees.

• Candidates with queries about public transport can call the 24-hour call centre on 0800 65 64 63.

They can also consult http://capetowntrains.freeblog.site/ or Twitter - @CapeTownTrains - for train schedules and updates.