Court hammers Codeta’s illegal blockade of learner transport
Statement by Minister David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape
The Western Cape High Court today granted a final interdict against the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta), preventing them from obstructing, interfering, and stopping the transporting of learners within the Western Cape.
This is a victory for the parents and children of Khayelitsha and surrounds, who have been terrorised for weeks, with over 5 100 learners missing school at the height of the blockade.
The Court has sent a strong message to the minibus taxi mafia: there is no excuse for violating the constitutional rights of our children, or for putting parents in the terrible position of having to choose between their children’s education and keeping them safely at home.
It has also put an end to the hollow claims made by Codeta that they are somehow not involved in the criminal actions they announced that they were taking.
The Court has ordered:
- That the respondent and its affiliated members are interdicted and restrained from obstructing, interfering and stopping the transportation of learners within the Western Cape;
- That the respondent and its affiliated members are interdicted and restrained from issuing threats to the applicants, service providers, learners and members of the public to the effect that they (the respondent) will obstruct, interfere and stop the transporting of learner within the Western Cape.
We trust that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will ensure that the interdict is enforced, and that any further disruptions are prevented.
The respondents have also been ordered to pay costs, which we will pursue.
We thank all of our parents who stayed home from work to look after their children, who diligently collected work packs, who travelled on busses to make sure their children were safe, who created lift clubs in the absence of contracted learner transport, and who stood up to the minibus taxi mafia by demanding that their children be able to travel to school without harassment and interference.
We now encourage our parents to send their children back to school if they feel comfortable doing so, so that our teachers can determine how much work needs to be caught up and implement plans to do so.
Media Enquiries:
Kerry Mauchline
Spokesperson to Minister David Maynier
Western Cape Ministry of Education
Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za