It’s been exactly one week since the South African National Taxi Council and other taxi associations ceased operations in the Western Cape.
The taxi stay-away has seen 10 buses being set alight. A bus driver was shot and wounded. Health and community facilities were damaged. Hundreds of thousands of school learners have missed school, shops were looted and five people have died.
President Cyril made a plea for the current impasse between the SANTACO and the City of Cape Town to be resolved. He was speaking at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria, yesterday where the Women’s Day commemoration was held. The event was initially set to take place in Khayelitsha, but the venue was moved due to the volatility cause by the taxi conflict.
“We are disturbed by the troubling events in the City of Cape Town. This year, we were supposed to hold Women’s Day celebrations in Khayelitsha, in Cape Town. However, we’ve had to move this event to the Union Buildings, because of violence associated with the taxi strike.”
The township was deemed a high-risk area.
“While our democracy protects peaceful protests, as well as lawful strike action, we cannot condone what has been happening in Cape Town. We strongly condemn the violence and the destruction caused by this dispute.”
📢 JOINT MEDIA RELEASE ON THE MINIBUS #TAXISTRIKE. pic.twitter.com/xMs2Vv5qDD
— Premier Alan Winde 🇿🇦 (@alanwinde) August 9, 2023
NO END IN SIGHT TO TAXI STRIKE
SANTACO addressed the media last night, following engagements with Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga. The taxi umbrella body stated that it would be launching an urgent court interdict to have their impounded vehicles released. The council’s Gershon Geyer explains what their stance is:
“We’re not going to operate, until we file the papers in court because JP’s (Smith) threat out there is that he will impound 25 vehicles for every vehicle that was stoned, burnt or what. If you add that up, I don’t know how many vehicles he is going to impound and I think that will just throw some oil on the fire, because people are not going to be happy if that should happen.”
READ MORE: Police say 5 people, including British man, killed amid taxi strike
