Western Cape learners without transport

Joe Slovo fire victims don't know how to transport their children to Langa schools

Western Cape learners are back to school tomorrow but Joe Slovo fire victims, who are temporarily housed at Tygerberg Hospital's hostel, don't know how to transport their children to Langa schools. Parents say they were told by the bus operator last year that their children would not have transport this year due to financial problems and they didn't receive any warning from the education department.

Some of the Joe Slovo fire victims have been staying in this hostel since last year. Their children were transported to Langa schools by buses provided by the department of education. David Talapile, the residents' spokesperson, says the bus service was stopped at the end of last year and no department officials came to inform them of what would happen to their children this year.

Cameron Dugmore, the Western Cape education minister, says after the fires last year the City of Cape Town Disaster management took responsibility of transporting the learners to Langa. "We are engaging in meetings with the City of Cape Town to resolve the problem because the learners need to be at school by tomorrow," Dugmore said.

Meanwhile, registration at this school was closed last year but there were parents who were trying to register their children yesterday. The head of registration said they would keep them on the waiting list in case of withdrawals on Wednesday.