City calls urgent meeting with taxi strikers

An urgent meeting is scheduled to take place between eThekwini Municipal officials and the relevant stakeholders from the Taxi Industry to establish the reasons behind the strike action which left thousands of commuters stranded today.

EThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo has condemned the attacking of Municipal buses ferrying passengers to school and work in the wake of the strike action by members of the Taxi Industry.

“We are receiving reports that while the strike action is currently taking place our Municipal buses are being attacked with passengers inside.

“We are highly concerned about the recent turn of events and urge people to raise their concerns through following the appropriate channels without resorting to violence,” said Nxumalo.

Nxumalo said law enforcement authorities are out in full force to monitor the situation.

City Manager Sibusiso Sithole said the Municipality had not received any memorandum of grievances from members of the Taxi Industry.

However, reports indicate that the cause of the strike action relates to a recent law enforcement operation by Metro Police and the Provincial Department of Transport.

“At this stage we are not clear what the issues are that have led to the strike by members of the taxi industry.

“We are hoping that a formal meeting which will be convened will indicate what their demands are and how we can engage to find solutions to those demands.

“Last night we received conflicting messages as to whether or not the strike would take place but this morning we noticed that taxis were not operating throughout the City,” said Sithole.

Commuters will be informed about the outcome of the meeting through the media.