The strike by the taxi umbrella body‚ the South African National Taxi Association (SANTACO)‚ also affected commuters and learners who depend on scholar transport. The Eastern Cape Department of Education said the matric trial examinations had been postponed in order to protect the safety of learners and staff.
Urban bus companies such as the Algoa Bus Company suspended their services for safety reasons as their buses had been attacked during previous strikes.
SANTACO Eastern Cape chairwoman Noluntu Mahashe said the association had held several discussions with the MEC where grievances had been tabled. But the MEC was not taking the taxi association seriously‚ she said.
“We have a problem with scholar transport. We entered into a contract to carry a certain number of learners‚ but parents of learners often force our drivers not to leave a learner even when their taxis are full. This leads to traffic officers issuing tickets for overloading to the driver. The department should issue permits for more taxis.”
“Learners should have tags to show who qualifies for scholar transport to avoid overloading. We also need an increase in the taxi fares because the petrol price has increased. Prices of fuel and vehicle parts are increasing on a daily basis but our taxi fares are not. All these grievances have been with the department for many years‚” said Mahashe.
“She is doing nothing to address them. We will continue with the shutdown until we get a positive response from the MEC.”