Tensions high over taxi shutdown
Many commuters were yesterday left stranded and scrambling to find alternatives after the SA National Taxi Council embarked on a two-day protest over ‘unfair’ by-laws.
The affected commuters include tens of thousands of Western Cape matrics writing their final exams.
The Daily Maverick reports that the protests were marked by violence and intimidation with many commuters left stranded as cars were stoned along the N7 at Dunoon and MyCiTi buses were set alight and stoned in Khayelitsha and Imizamo Yethu.
MEC for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the City of Cape Town suspended the N2 Express service in Khayelitsha, ‘with MyCiTi service deviations in place for Dunoon and surrounds, as well as Hout Bay. Similarly, the Dial-a-Ride service for people with special needs has also been suspended in Dunoon, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Bloekombos, Delft and Nyanga until further notice. Once again, stay-away action by the minibus-taxi industry is being marked by violence, intimidation, thuggery and attacks on other public transport services, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and deprived from earning an income,’ Quintas said.
About 2m commuters in the Western Cape stand to be affected by the two-day planned shutdown of minibus taxi services.
Santaco Western Cape chairperson Mandla Hermanus said the ‘provincial stayaway’ was in protest against unfair provincial government by-laws.
Fin24 reports that the strike has forced public service unions in the province to postpone their marches as part of a one-day strike about the deadlocked public wage talks.
Public service unions affiliated with Cosatu, the SA Federation of Trade Unions, and the Federation of Unions of SA, representing an estimated 800 000 members, were today supposed to embark on a one-day strike including marches in all nine provinces.
However, the three federations said members in the Western Cape will have to postpone their demonstrations due to the taxi strike by the SA National Taxi Council.
Seven unions affiliated with the federations are in deadlocked wage talks with the government after rejecting a 3% baseline wage increase offer.
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