Western Cape parents urged to send children back to school after taxi strike

The Western Cape education department has called on parents to send their children to school after the violent taxi strike ended on Thursday. 

After a week of violence in Cape Town, businesses were at a standstill while most schools remained open. 

Education MEC David Maynier said: “We stood firm during the Santaco-WC minibus taxi strike and refused to close all schools in the Western Cape.

“We did so not only to ensure schools focused on teaching and learning but also to provide places of safety and supply meals to hungry children.” 

Maynier said 852,000 pupils and 17,700 staff members could not get to schools because of the strike. Schools in poorer communities were hit hard as the situation was volatile and parents were asked to fetch their children to avoid being caught up in violence.

“We know this has been a challenging time, but now that the taxi strike has been called off, we must get our children back to school, and so we appeal to parents: please work with us and ensure that your children go back to school,” he said. 

“We would like to thank all the principals, teachers, and staff who went the extra mile to support pupils at our schools during the minibus taxi strike.”

TimesLIVE