Last Thursday, students at Aquila High School in Fisantekraal found themselves distressed, some even in tears, when individuals wearing balaclavas, purportedly taxi owners, threatened to set fire to the Golden Arrow bus they were scheduled to board.
Approximately 47 students in Grades 8 and 9 had been eagerly anticipating a trip to Artscape for the Suidoosterfees Junior, a special event tailored for learners, many of whom had never visited Artscape before.These students were among 6 000 learners, primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds across Cape Town, who had been sponsored with transportation, packed lunches, and tickets to attend the festival’s shows throughout the previous week.
Last week, Golden Arrow generously provided approximately 22 buses to transport learners to the Suidoosterfees. Local schools, including Settlers High School, Eversdal Primary School, Welgemoed Primary School, and Jan van Riebeeck Primary School, contributed packed lunches, each containing 1 500 sandwiches, according to Marieta Nel of LAPA/Penquin Random House.
Together, they surrounded the bus and instructed the waiting learners not to board. Allegedly associated with the Durbanville Taxi Association , these individuals threatened to set fire to the bus with the children aboard, insisting that the learners take taxis instead. Despite efforts to explain that the bus had already been paid for and was part of the deceased’s funeral arrangements, the taxi drivers persisted with their threats. Many mourners were unable to afford alternative transportation, forcing them to hire taxis at an additional cost of R750 per vehicle to attend the funeral.
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