Cape Town – The Western Cape High Court on Wednesday granted a final interdict against the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta), preventing them from obstructing, interfering with and stopping the transport of learners in the province.
Education MEC David Maynier said the decision was a victory for the parents and children of Khayelitsha and surrounding areas, with more than 5 100 learners missing school at the height of the learner transport blockade.
According to the court order, Codeta and its affiliated members may not obstruct, interfere with or stop learner transport in the Western Cape. They are also prohibited from issuing threats to the applicants, service providers, learners and members of the public to the effect that they will obstruct, interfere and stop the transport of learners in the province.
Codeta was also ordered to pay costs.
Maynier said the court sent a strong message that there was no excuse for violating the constitutional rights of children, or for putting parents in the 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.
“We trust that the SAPS will ensure that the interdict is enforced, and that any further disruptions are prevented,” Maynier said.
The department encouraged parents to send their children back to school if they felt comfortable doing so, so that teachers could determine how much work needed to be caught up and implement plans to do so.
Codeta secretary Nceba Enge said: “Codeta respects the decision of the court. In terms of challenging (the decision) … it has just been released so we are going to sit down and discuss a way forward together with the community.”
Cape Times