Parliament, Saturday, 31 October 2026 – The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries, Mr Makhi Feni, has called on the Department of Basic Education to give guidance on the ongoing taxi violence in townships across the City of Cape Town Metro.
Mr Feni said it was unfortunate that the violence broke out at the start of end-of-year examinations and that some scholar transport was targeted.
“There are reports that Grade 12 learners were affected. This concerns the committee. Yes, there may be no learner affected physically, but the trauma our children experienced should concern us all. Some of the vehicles that seem to be targeted are used by many as scholar transport. This kind of violence we’ve witnessed must never occur or affect learners,” Mr Feni said.
Tensions in the Western Cape taxi industry have been simmering since Tuesday and erupted into full view on Wednesday and Thursday. Some taxi operators were reportedly killed in the violence that occurred at the Delft taxi rank on Thursday morning, during which taxi operators shot at one another during peak rush hour, thereby endangering lives of many commuters.
Mr Feni said the matter was not only an issue for the Western Cape Education Department but also for the national Department of Basic Education. “We need details on which learners have been affected and what kind of support they are getting. It is not enough to just appreciate that children arrived at exam centres.”
“Psycho-social support and transportation in and out of townships should be priority. If there is any learner who could not write or arrived late, what plans are there from the WCED to get those children up to speed before the year is lost to another taxi violence?” asked Mr Feni.
He said the indiscriminate nature of the shootings is of deep concern for the committee. He called on impacted scholar transport operators to report to the Western Cape Education Department to ensure that the correct statistics on affected learners are captured.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY INFORMATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCES AND THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, MR MAKHI FENI.
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