KANYAMAZANE – A television journalist was hit in the face by a rubber bullet while covering the strike after police opened fire on
taxi drivers.
Venting their anger, taxi operators used buses, petrol tankers and trucks to barricade the roads.
Motorists had to use alternative roads to reach to their destinations, while commuters resorted to hitchhiking to get to work and towns.
Since the country was placed under lockdown due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, minibus taxis were instructed to load at 50 per cent capacity, which taxi operators duly heeded to.
READ: Mbombela at a standstill after taxi operators go on strike over capacity dispute
Government offered to give each taxi operator a R5 000 per taxi relief fund, which the taxi industry called an insult, arguing that it lost hundreds of thousands of rand due to government’s strict regulations.
On Sunday, the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) instructed all its members to load at
100 per cent capacity as of Monday, and also travel long distances without permits.
The association’s president, Philip Taaibosch, warned that if taxis were stopped and impounded by the law enforcement agencies for travelling between provinces and at 100 per cent capacity, it would bring the country to
its knees.
ALSO READ: Police shot a journalist covering taxi riots at KaNyamazane
Santaco’s call was heeded to by taxi operators on Monday. They were met with the full might of the law, which
resulted in chaos, leaving commuters stranded and vehicles damaged.
Taxi operators used Buscor buses to block the main roads, while in areas such as Emoyeni and Pienaar burning
tyres and rocks were used.
“We will continue with our plans of operating as before the lockdown. We will load at 100 per cent capacity and operate between provinces. We are doing this because government is not prepared to help us. Our government does not care about black business and so we are going to continue working as normal and look after our business. They have never cared for us anyway,” said John Sibanyoni, Santaco provincial chairperson. “I just want to make it clear without fear or favour. Government and President Cyril Ramaphosa and transport minister, Fikile Mbalula, are not taking us seriously.
“This is the only way we are going to make ourselves heard and we are ready for war.
“We have not earned a salary for the past three months yet those in government and higher places have been getting their full salaries with all their benefits.
“We are going to make this country ungovernable just to prove our point,” said a taxi driver in KaNyamazane.
At the time of going to press taxis were operating, loading at 100 per cent capacity, without any reaction from the police.
