- Drivers at Khayelitsha Special School went on strike, leaving parents and learners stranded, over unpaid salary increases promised in April.
- The drivers, who are employed on short-term contracts, demand permanent employment, better working conditions, and proper registration and servicing of school buses.
- The School Governing Body chair claimed ignorance of the issues, while the Western Cape Education Department spokesperson promised to respond but had not done so by the time of publication.
Millions of learners returned to school for the start of the third term on Tuesday 1 October, but parents whose children are registered at the Khayelitsha Special School were left with more questions than answers as drivers employed to collect their children downed keys.
At the centre of their grievances were “empty promises” to increase their salaries by R1 500 and the school’s alleged failure to properly register and service the buses.
According to the drivers the cash injection was due in April. Five months later they had yet to receive the money.
The drivers consider their actions an extension of their protest action last year (“Zimb’ indaba eKSS”, City Vision, 2 October 2023).
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One of the drivers, Nkosoxolo Ntoninzi, who is also a transport manager, bemoaned what he termed poor working conditions and the alleged failure by the principal to manage the school effectively.
At the time of last year’s protest they were paid an extra R1 000 to return to work, with a promise of an extra R1 500 in April this year, he told City Vision.
“Our demand was a 2,5% increase, but we were given an extra R1 000 to go back to work,” shared Ntoninzi.
He said they accepted the offer and returned to work. When April came they did not get the extra R1 500. They were allegedly sent from pillar to post.
“We are now demanding that money,” said Ntoninzi. “We also want to be employed permanently or to be employed on long-term contracts. The money that we get is too little and we cannot do anything with it. We also cannot buy stuff on credit because of the contracts we sign.
He also complained about the state of the buses. Ntoninzi said he and other drivers are often pulled over by traffic officers and fined for driving “unlicensed” vehicles.
“These buses have the discs and are expiring in November, but according to traffic authorities they are not legal. We cannot drive buses that are not licensed.”
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Ntoninzi claimed the buses were registered with a Mpumalanga-based consortium, Siyabusa.
Approached for comment, chair of the School Governing Body (SGB) Mazetana Noqha said he was “in the dark” about the challenges facing the school. He told City Vision to contact the people running the school. “That is what we are also trying to resolve,” he pointed out.
According to the drivers and other sources at the school, the principal had not reported for duty since the school opened.
Bronagh Hammond, the spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), promised to respond but at the time of going to print she had not responded.
