Taxi mafia - ANC accuses premier Winde of 'weak' leadership in response to scholar transport crisis

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier. (Photo: Gallo Images / Nardus Engelbrecht)

By Suné Payne

17 Feb 2023

The ANC caucus in the legislature came out guns blazing against the provincial government over the current dispute between taxi organisations and the education structures over attempts by members of the industry to control learner transportation.

The learner transport crisis in the metro and rural areas has been allowed to “blow out of proportion by the weak premier,” said Western Cape legislature member Muhammad Khalid Sayed on Friday morning during a debate on premier Alan Winde’s State of the Province Address (Sopa).

Sayed, the deputy chief whip of the African National Congress in the Western Cape legislature and the party’s spokesperson on education spoke in response to Winde’s Sopa delivered on Thursday in the legislature chambers in Cape Town.

Premier Alan Winde at the 2023 Western Cape State Of The Province Address (SOPA) at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament Building on February 16, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. The State of the Province Address is an annual event in each of South Africa's nine provinces, in which the premier of the province reports on the state of the province, normally to a formal sitting of the province's unicameral legislature. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach )

Read in Daily Maverick: “Alan Winde highlights three key themes – energy, mobility, and policing – in between the heckling”

On Friday, legislature members debated Winde’s speech — which included several heckles, interjections, and running commentary throughout. Sayed addressed the ongoing situation with learners being blocked by taxi operators from going to school as some operators want control of scholar transport.

Read in Daily Maverick: Cape Town learners stranded by ‘taxi mafia’ blocking scholar transport

“Speaker, the learner transport crisis both in the metro and rural areas has been allowed to blow out of proportion by the weak Premier….we see no meaningful engagement with stakeholders,” said Sayed, who added, “critical meetings are postponed on the eleventh hour”.

Archive photo: School children are removed from their scholar transport which was impounded by traffic officers in Philippi, in November 2022. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

During the debate, Sayed said, “this government is aware of the challenge since last year and has failed to act because it is the lives of the poor and working class that are affected”. He added that it was the fault of Winde’s government that “children of Khayelitsha and Mfuleni have been missing out on school”.

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Sayed addressed the Speaker of the legislature, Daylin Mitchell, and said if he still had been MEC for Transport, the “situation may have been different”. Mitchell had been MEC for Transport until December 2022, when he was elected Speaker in dramatic fashion, through the removal of one of the DA’s own members, Masizole Mnqasela.

“It is the fault of Premier Winde’s government that children of Khayelitsha and Mfuleni have been missing out on school…an amicable solution, involving all affected parties is needed to ensure that our children go to school safely,” said Sayed.

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier. (Photo: Gallo Images / Nardus Engelbrecht)

In response, Education MEC David Maynier immediately addressed the situation during his time in the debate. The “lawlessness by the taxi mafia cannot continue,” said Maynier, who added that he shared the anger of parents who were affected by the blockade. Maynier said he met the South African Police Service (SAPS) and laid a criminal complaint to allow for this issue to be investigated and individuals arrested.

Throughout his speech, ANC members shouted “go meet them” and “where are you?”.

Maynier said his department will not meet with the taxi operators until they end the blockade.

“We do not negotiate with a gun to our head,” he said. “The blame lies squarely with the minibus taxis, no matter the disinformation,” added Maynier, who accused the official opposition of being silent on the matter. This led to heckling and interjections by the ANC, with Sayed stating he had been in contact with the department.

Maynier said nothing could justify extortion and intimidation. He then called for the ANC to support an “immediate end to the illegal blockade” by the taxi industry.

“You are scared of them” shouted several members of the ANC caucus.

In her speech, DA deputy chief and chairperson of the education oversight committee in the legislature, Deidré Baartman said the taxi situation was “not normal”.

The session was marred by heckling, and interruptions around the debates. On Winde’s speech, Good member Shaun August described the speech as “devoid of vision and a real plan for the people of this province”. ANC member Rachel Windvogel said Winde’s speech was “devoid of any truth, uninspiring and out of touch with reality”.

Winde will respond to the debate at 2 pm. DM

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