Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

South Africa

South Africa, Maverick Citizen

As the school run begins, Eastern Cape scholar transport marred by taxi owners intimidating private operators

As the school run begins, Eastern Cape scholar transport marred by taxi owners intimidating private operators
Taxi owners brought their vehicles in for inspection after a warning issued by the Department of Transport that their contracts would be reviewed if they failed to undergo a safety check. (Photo: Supplied)
Estelle Ellis
By Estelle Ellis
16 Jan 2025
Facebook
8
The Eastern Cape Department of Transport has issued a stern warning to taxi owners after some were allegedly intimidating private scholar transport contractors and demanding money from them.

While the provision of scholar transport in the Eastern Cape for the 2025 school year appeared to have improved from last year, incidents of taxi drivers intimidating private scholar transport contractors have led to a stern warning from the provincial transport department.

The Democratic Alliance’s Horatio Hendricks said he was deeply concerned about reports of taxi operators actively barring private scholar transport operators from dropping children off at schools, specifically in the Mthatha area. 

“These actions are not only disruptive and deeply traumatising for the children involved, but also unlawful. Taxi operators have no legal authority to interfere with other operators or dictate who is allowed to transport learners. Such behaviour undermines parents’ rights to choose safe and reliable transport for their children,” Hendricks said.

“The safety and education of our children must come first. While the taxi industry plays an important role in the transport sector, it cannot justify actions that place additional strain on parents and disrupt learners’ ability to attend school on time.

“Blocking private scholar transport does nothing to address the real challenges parents face. Instead, it exacerbates them,” he said.

Hendricks said there were allegations of unroadworthy vehicles and poor regulation in scholar transport, and that this had to be urgently addressed. “Parents deserve peace of mind knowing their children are in safe hands.”

eastern cape scholar safety Taxi owners brought their vehicles in for inspection after a warning issued by the Department of Transport that their contracts would be reviewed if they failed to undergo a safety check. (Photo: Supplied)


Roadworthy test


Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said he could not rule out that the incidents were linked to a requirement by the department that all vehicles used in scholar transport had to pass a roadworthy test.

A statement issued on Wednesday said the department had “learnt with dismay that there are people who continue to intimidate others on the road, thereby undermining their constitutional rights of freedom of movement and choice by forcing them out of vehicles they are travelling in, or forcing owners of such vehicles to pay them a certain amount.

“These are criminal/unlawful acts that cannot be condoned, especially as they have elements of extortion and will be dealt with as such. The department has been engaging the public transport industry who have been distancing themselves from these acts. 

“We therefore warn all individuals and groups involved in these acts to desist from such activities with immediate effect as they are likely to face criminal charges against them while others face a risk of losing their licences and permits.”

The statement said that “only law enforcement officers authorised by law are allowed to stop and inspect vehicles on the road”.

Binqose said the department had conducted safety inspections on all scholar transport vehicles this week. By late on Wednesday, Binqose said a “sizeable number of operators have yet to present their vehicles for inspections”.

The department had warned that scholar transport operators who had failed to present their contracted vehicles for a roadworthy inspection by Wednesday (15 January) would “face a strict review of their contracts”.

Read more: Non-payment of scholar transport fees triggers huge taxi strike in Eastern Cape

Binqose said “the window for vehicle inspection has been open for more than a week now, and many operators have undergone and passed the inspection. However, some have seemingly opted to ignore the calls by the department to undergo this all-important exercise.” 

He said they were making provision for the bad weather that had hit the eastern parts of the province, but agreed with officials to keep the testing centres open until 7pm to ensure compliance. 

Binqose said that according to the database implemented in 2024, about 103,000 children received scholar transport, but the department was adjusting for matrics who had left school and the new intake of Grade 1s.

“As soon as the schools settle, we will know for sure how many learners will require scholar transport,” he said. “As of last year, we had nearly 40,000 learners who qualified, but could not be ferried.”

Meanwhile, attorney Cameron McConnachie from the Legal Resources Centre in Makhanda said they were still waiting to hear if the government planned to appeal against a groundbreaking court ruling that ordered the Eastern Cape government to provide scholar transport for the 40,000 eligible but marooned learners. The Makhanda High Court ruled that all learners who qualified for scholar transport should receive it.

Read more: Eastern Cape government receives strict orders to provide scholar transport as excuses run out of road

Some schools received transport after a high court order in September last year and McConnachie said they were monitoring to ensure that this continued.

The department was also ordered by the court to make catch-up plans for learners who missed transport in 2024 and provide individualised reasons for any refusals.

McConnachie said this decision marked a significant victory in ensuring every child’s right to education and the Legal Resources Centre would oppose attempts to appeal against it.

In her ruling, Acting Judge Nicola Malony said: “Thousands of learners in the Eastern Cape, particularly in impoverished and rural areas, have to travel long distances, often over perilous terrain, to get to school. Their families do not have the means to find sustainable solutions to this challenge. The negative ripple effect of this is obvious.” 

Read more: Pupils describe the long walk to school, amid fight for scholar transport in rural Eastern Cape

As part of her ruling, she declared the Eastern Cape Department of Education and the Eastern Cape Department of Transport’s failure to provide all qualifying learners with scholar transport unconstitutional and invalid.

The departments have until 5 February to apply for leave to appeal against the ruling. DM

Categories:

Tags: