The Western Cape Department of Education says over 700,000 pupils have missed school as the violent taxi strike in Cape Town continued on Thursday. This equated to six out of 10 pupils in the Western Cape missing school on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the department announced that over 850,000 pupils missed school.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde were expected to meet with minibus taxi leaders on Thursday afternoon in talks to end the strike.
Presidency Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Thursday that Cabinet had directed Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga to ensure that minibus taxis that were operating outside of the laws of the country be taken off the road.
"Members of the SAPS and other law-enforcement agencies have been directed to ensure the violent situation is under control to allow residents safe movement to school, work, and their normal daily activities.
"Cabinet was also briefed about the City of Cape Town’s imposing of taxi operating conditions, which are at variance with both the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act 93 of 1996) and the National Land Transport Act, 2009 (Act 5 of 2009), which regulate traffic offences and the applicable penalties, including the impounding of vehicles," Ntshavheni said on Thursday.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the Santaco Western Cape minibus taxi strike had affected 728,247 learners who stayed home from school.
This also included 12,026 staff members, and 48 schools were closed.
"While these numbers are still devastating, it is positive to note that attendance has increased from Tuesday, with 124,012 more learners and 5,699 more staff members attending school today.
"The number of schools closed also decreased from 92 on Tuesday to 48 today.
"This is why we are keeping schools open. We want to ensure continued teaching and learning for our children as far as possible, and today over 124,000 more learners got that opportunity, which would not have been the case if there was a blanket closure of schools," said Hammond.
It is unclear when the minibus taxi strike in Cape Town will end.
But the department said they wanted to ensure schools were a safe space for those who would have otherwise been left unattended.
The schools could also provide a meal for those who rely on the National School Nutrition Programme as their only means to a meal each day.
"We are hopeful that absenteeism figures will continue to decline. While there has been no resolution to the taxi strike, education must continue if safe to do so," said Hammond.
Earlier, Humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers intervened with much-needed food donations in impoverished communities affected by Cape Town’s taxi strike, providing meals to pupils who have been unable to go to school since last week and making door-to-door deliveries for the frail.
Gift of the Givers said it was donating over 15,000 bread loaves, samp, maize meal, rice, non-perishable foods, meat, chicken, soups, beans, fresh vegetables and fruits, and cereal, to the poor communities of Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Mfuleni, Dunoon, Mitchell's Plain, Highlands Park, and Bishop Lavis, among other areas.
The department has also thanked staff and teachers in volatile areas who rallied together to ensure that pupils were accommodated on arrival at their schools.
"While there are circumstances in which teachers and staff cannot safely get to school, there are those that are fortunate to travel safely to their place of work.
"It has been wonderful to hear stories of teachers' genuine and real concern for their learners over the past week, particularly for our matriculants, who will be writing mock Matric exams soon.
"We simply cannot afford to compromise our children’s futures by losing any more teaching and learning time when we are still trying to reverse learning losses from the Covid-19 pandemic," said Hammond.
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