Taxi strike leaves 400,000 pupils, workers stranded

As the mayhem unfolded in the city of Cape Town on Monday with more than 400,000 pupils unable to go to school and hospitals shutting down, transport minister Sindiswa Chikunga met with taxi bosses and city officials to broker a deal to bring an end to the violent taxi strike.

The dispute over impounding minibus taxis spiralled furtherout of control yesterday, with the provincial education department reporting that 456,020 pupils and 17,449 staff members were prevented from getting to school.

The strike started on Thursday after the City of Cape Town’s operation by law enforcement agencies to impound minibus taxis for various transgressions.

The Cape Town metropolitan area was worst affected with several health facilities been closed or had their services suspended as staff were unable to get to work. Elective surgeries remained suspended at Tygerberg, Red Cross and Groote Schuur hospitals.

Clinics in Phillipi, Nyanga, Crossroads, Nolungile, and Gugulethu also shut down and patients who had appointments for Monday and Tuesday were advised not to go. 

The provincial health department said emergency medical services and forensic pathology unit at these areas would only be possible with a law enforcement escort, resulting in delayed response.

Chikunga’s spokesperson Collen Msibi told Sowetan yesterday afternoon that the minister was in a meeting to mediate between the taxi associations and the city.

Chikunga first met with the taxi bosses and the city and provincial officials on Saturday. However, the meeting apparently did not yield the desired results as violence continued to escalate with two people being killed by yesterday.

Msibi said should taxi association Santaco, the city and provincial leaders not find a solution, the meeting could continue up until today [Tuesday]. He said a press briefing would be held today if the parties find a solution to the strike.

The city said 12 of its vehicles have been set alight as well as four buses, four private cars and two trucks. He said 35 people have been arrested and that facilities in volatile areas would remain closed in the interest of the safety and security of staff as well as to prevent vandalism and attacks on the infrastructure.

MMC for urban mobility Rob Quintas said MyCiTi bus routes, including N2 Express service operating between the Civic Centre, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, as well as the services from Adderley Street station to Century City have been suspended until further notice.

He said the police would escort the MyCiTi bus service in all other routes that have remained operational, including Atlantis, Blaauwberg, Table View and Century City and  some routes operating close to or around Dunoon, Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu.

Airports Company of SA on Tuesday encouraged travellers to arrive at least 20 hours early for domestic flights as the road leading to Cape Town International Airport was also affected.

Acsa’s Cape Town International Airport regional general manager Mark Maclean said although the airport was affected by staff shortages, it remains operational.

Maclean also advised travellers to stay informed about their flight status in case of any delays or changes to flight schedules and airlines will provide timely updates to passengers.

Meanwhile Western Cape police say they have deployed a heavy contingent of police officials along the airport approach after shooting that left one dead and three others injured yesterday morning. 

Police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said the incident happened when a motorist who was pelted with stones responded to the attack by firing several shots.  

“A murder and attempted murder cases are being investigated. The identity of the deceased person is yet to be determined. The incident has further compounded efforts to clear the road with traffic currently flowing and deployments still in place in the area,” she said. 

“Additional forces including air support are en route to a number of locations where traffic interruptions and other incidents have been reported.” 

Western Cape premier Alan Winde on Tuesday called for an end to the violence while Santaco condemned the violence, adding that a resolution to the dispute was urgent.

“It is with great sorrow and regret that we take notice of the violence and destruction of property and the loss of life over the last few days and this morning. We are sensitive to public sentiment and do not wish to alienate the public by actions that hurt or injure them,” Santaco said in a statement on Monday.