Around 2 000 taxi operators entered the Cape Town city centre on Thursday to protest against the impounding of taxis and other issues affecting the industryThe Western Cape education department has recorded a decrease in the number of pupils who were forced to stay away from school.
According to department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, it recorded 5 000 absenteeism incidents due to the taxi blockades.The protest prevented thousands of Cape Town pupils from getting to school and caused illegal blockades, which were aimed at forcing children not to use scholar transport. On Friday, Education MEC David Maynier approached the Western Cape High Court to obtain an urgent interdict against the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations , preventing it from obstructing, interfering, and stopping the transporting of pupils within the Western Cape.
"The court recognised the urgency of the matter. Codeta has backed down and agreed to an interim arrangement whereby they will suspend their illegal blockade of our learner transport scheme operators until such time as the matter can be heard before the court," Maynier said in a statement.