Last Thursday, students at Aquila High School in Fisantekraal found themselves distressed, some even in tears, when individuals wearing balaclavas, purportedly taxi owners, threatened to set fire to the Golden Arrow bus they were scheduled to board.
Approximately 47 students in Grades 8 and 9 had been eagerly anticipating a trip to Artscape for the Suidoosterfees Junior, a special event tailored for learners, many of whom had never visited Artscape before.
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These students were among 6 000 learners, primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds across Cape Town, who had been sponsored with transportation, packed lunches, and tickets to attend the festival’s shows throughout the previous week.
The initiative, spearheaded by LAPA/Penquin Random House in partnership with Afrikaanse Onderwysnetwerk (AON), was part of the ATKV Children’s Books Awards programme, aimed at recognising the most beloved Afrikaans books.
Grade R to 9 students from various schools in Cape Town, including Atlantis, Fisantekraal, Belhar, and the Cape Flats, were beneficiaries of this project.
Last week, Golden Arrow generously provided approximately 22 buses to transport learners to the Suidoosterfees. Local schools, including Settlers High School, Eversdal Primary School, Welgemoed Primary School, and Jan van Riebeeck Primary School, contributed packed lunches, each containing 1 500 sandwiches, according to Marieta Nel of LAPA/Penquin Random House.
In addition, Capespan sponsored 7 000 apples for the learners, while the Curro Group provided 6 000 juices.
However, an unsettling incident unfolded when a taxi driver followed one of the buses transporting Aquila High School learners. Upon arriving at the school and witnessing the bus parking, the taxi driver reportedly mobilised additional taxi owners from the Fisantekraal taxi rank.
Together, they surrounded the bus and instructed the waiting learners not to board. Allegedly associated with the Durbanville Taxi Association (DTA), these individuals threatened to set fire to the bus with the children aboard, insisting that the learners take taxis instead.
In response to the threats made by the taxi drivers, the principal made the decision to prioritise the safety of the learners. As a precautionary measure, the learners were instructed to return to the school premises.
On Saturday, another disturbing incident occurred involving taxi drivers, also affiliated with the DTA, who obstructed funeral attendees from boarding a bus bound for a church in Bellville and the cemetery. These drivers went so far as to threaten to set fire to the bus if anyone attempted to board it.
Despite efforts to explain that the bus had already been paid for and was part of the deceased’s funeral arrangements, the taxi drivers persisted with their threats. Many mourners were unable to afford alternative transportation, forcing them to hire taxis at an additional cost of R750 per vehicle to attend the funeral.
This incident echoes a previous occurrence where the Trevor Manuel Primary School choir was similarly intimidated by the local taxi association, preventing them from using a bus to attend a choir competition in August of the previous year.
Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the provincial department of education, expressed profound disappointment upon learning that Aquila High School learners in Fisantekraal were unable to attend the Suidoosterfees due to intimidation tactics employed by taxi drivers.
The chance for the learners to attend the festival was made possible by a generous sponsorship that covered festival tickets, transportation, and meals for the day. However, on Thursday morning, just before the learners were set to depart, members of a taxi association arrived in a taxi while wearing balaclavas. They proceeded to block the road from the school and issued threats, allegedly stating that they would set fire to the sponsored bus if any learner attempted to board it. Additionally, they demanded that the school utilise their taxis for transportation to and from the festival, with the expectation that the school would cover the transport costs later.
The situation is clearly counterproductive, particularly considering that the transportation arrangements were already sponsored. Moreover, this is a quintile 1 no-fee school that serves learners from impoverished communities.
Due to the threats of violence and intimidation posed by the group, a decision was made, albeit reluctantly, to prioritise the safety of the children by keeping them at the school.
According to News24, the group of taxi drivers remained outside the school premises for hours, ensuring that no learners were able to leave in the sponsored bus. As a result, none of the learners could attend the festival.
‘It is disheartening to hear reports of both disappointment and fear among the learners who were eagerly anticipating the event,’ Hammond expresses.
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Picture: ER Lombard / Gallo Images