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- According to the Western Cape education department, 739 569 pupils and 5 533 teachers were absent from school on Friday.
- This as life slowly returns to normal after the violent taxi protest held Cape Town hostage for more than a week.
- While taxi operations resumed on Friday, many refrained from returning to work and school after days of unrest.
A teacher at a school in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, had only one lone pupil in her classroom on Friday as some parents continue to keep their children home following a week of violence.
Life is slowly starting to return to the streets of the city after the taxi strike was called off on Thursday night.
Less than 50 children pitched for school on Friday, the teacher said, despite the area being quiet and taxis operating again.
She, too, had not been brave enough to use her usual mode of transport that morning.
READ | KZN government offers help to families of six pupils who died while on school trip
Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier said the effect of the unrest was still being felt by schools, with 739 569 pupils and 5 533 teachers being absent on Friday.
"A full week of teaching and learning has been lost in the Western Cape for many learners," he said.
Now that the SANTACO minibus taxi strike is over, we appeal to parents to bring their children back to school, so that we can work on getting #BackOnTrack in the Western Cape. pic.twitter.com/zNaZ5WdNGk
— David Maynier (@DavidMaynier) August 10, 2023
At the height of the protests, 852 259 pupils stayed at home - 71% of all registered in the province.
"We appeal to parents to please send their children to school on Monday," Maynier urged.
Maynier added:
While taxi operations resumed on Friday, many refrained from returning to work and school after days of unrest.
Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Dumisani Qwebe said urgent interventions were needed to look at the strike's impact within communities.
The area became a hotspot for demonstrations, with both Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officer Zanikhaya Kwinana and British orthopaedic surgeon Kar Hao Teoh being killed in the neighbourhood amid the ongoing violence last week.
Kar Hao is believed to have been shot at Ntlango Cresent on Thursday (4 August) after his car was diverted during road closures.
Kwinana was killed in a drive-by shooting while carrying out patrols with two colleagues the following day.
Qwebe said people were devastated by the strike, and the community was traumatised over the unfolding events.
The return to normalcy was welcomed by residents, who were now able to go to work, hospital, clinics, and local shopping centres, most of which were closed for financial and safety reasons.
READ | Santaco suspends Western Cape taxi strike after 'painstaking deliberations'
Lentegeur CPF chairperson Byron de Villiers said residents were angry with the ongoing intimidation and demonstrations that prevented them from leaving their homes during the strike.
De Villiers added:
Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Ndithini Tyhido agreed with De Villiers.
He said many Khayelitsha residents were angry with both Santaco and the City of Cape Town for the events that unfolded during the strike and the economic impact it had on residents.
"There was loss of life during this strike and destruction of property.
"Some residents are vendors for things such as fruit, vegetables and meat and get their money from the informal economy.
"A lot of that was affected by the strike. This dispute over by-laws affected the poorest of the poor," said Tyhido.
