Walking Bus Project Demands Pay and Protection, Threatens Action at SONA

 Members of the Walking Bus Project demonstrate outside of City of Cape Town Offices in January (Photo via Armand Hough/African News Agency).

Members of the Walking Bus Project, which provides walking groups for children to safely get to and from school, are demanding payments and accessibility from the City of Cape Town. 

The group has given the City of Cape Town until Tuesday 8 February to meet their demands.

Members of the group met with Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on Friday in attempt to get the City to meet their demands. Members threatened to take action at the State of the Nation Address later this week if their demands are not met.

The Walking Bus Project demands the City create similar official projects for all residents, especially for people who would not qualify as safety officers under the guidelines of the group. Other demands include demanding payments for stipends, which date back to the reopening of schools. The group also asked for better protective equipment against COVID-19 and education for members.

The City of Cape Town announced it would be creating a new initiative, the Facility Protection Officers, in January. Many believed this indicated the dissolving of the Walking Bus Project. Founding members of WBP said the new project was discriminatory.     

In January, 200 members from WBP demonstrated in from of City Hall and demanded to meet with the mayor.

The City said the new project was not actively disbanding WBP, but rather aimed to further professionalize its efforts by providing security and equipment. 

By Ben Rappaport