School reopening coincided with the suspension of the Santaco strike

School reopening coincided with the suspension of the Santaco strike

As a result of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) temporarily suspending its planned strike, tens of thousands of students in the Eastern Cape were able to arrive to school without difficulty on Wednesday.

The strike, widely publicized at a conference of provincial taxi organizations last week, was to coincide with the 2023 academic year’s reopening of schools in the province.

The walkout was championed by taxi company owners who have an agreement with the provincial transport department to transport students to and from school.

The provincial coordinator for Santaco, Gabs Mtshala, acknowledged that the strike has been suspended and stated that the organization has given the province administration until next Tuesday to process the payments.

“The strike was suspended on Tuesday after a lengthy discussion with premier Oscar Mabuyane and transport minister Xolile Nqatha.” They acknowledged their errors and pledged to complete the payments by next Tuesday, Mtshala added.

Despite the decision to stop the strike, Mtshala stated that the taxi operators are not ignoring their other complaints. He stated, however, that they are eager to engage the government continuously.

“In addition to the payments, we wanted to discuss with the department the number of students we transport, the condition of the roads in the province, and the ongoing gasoline price increases. However, we will wait for the drafting of our new contracts before addressing the other issues.”

Meanwhile, Mabuyane stated that his government is addressing the grievances of taxi companies, particularly the issue of delayed payments caused by a lack of finances.

Mabuyane stated, “They will be paid by the beginning of the following week, and we are facilitating that to ensure that we receive all of the funds we require.”

“We admire the service providers’ patience, as they persisted to drive our children to school to complete their examinations last year despite not being compensated for months.

“We are addressing all of the system’s teething issues in order to improve the way we work.”


»School reopening coincided with the suspension of the Santaco strike«

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