By Everson Luhanga
A taxi strike in the city of Ekurhuleni has left thousands of commuters stranded.
These are mostly people who travel to work and are most likely breadwinners.
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department spokesperson Superintendent Kelebogile Thepa said: “The department confirms the taxi strike which started this morning and is disrupting the City of Ekurhuleni. Police officials have been deployed to monitor the situation, across the three regions of the City.”
Thepa said it was unclear what the cause for the strike was, but investigations are underway.
“At the moment we can’t speculate on the circumstances,” said Thepa.
However, South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) national spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Rebecca said the strike action is due to the government’s decision to deploy buses on taxi routes.
She said a tender has been awarded to a bus company to operate on certain routes. The deal was that taxi associations that have been operating on such streets should also benefit from that tender.
“Before the deal was finalised, we saw the buses already on the streets,” she said.
Rebecca said this didn’t go down well with the affected association who stopped the bus on Wednesday.
“The bus drivers called the police who impounded the taxis and arrested members of the taxi squad. We are demanding the release of the taxi squad members from police cells and the finalisation of papers as agreed from the beginning,” she said.
Rebecca said both parties are locked in a meeting this morning to try and resolve their issues and allow the taxis back on the streets.
The dispute between the taxis and the buses in Ekurhuleni came at a time when there had been tensions and violence between two taxi associations in the past few days over disputes over a route between Faraday and Zonkezizwe.
A taxi owner from the Greater Alberton Taxi Association spoke to Scrolla.Africa anonymously and said in the past few days, owners and drivers from Zonkezizwe-Faraday have been gunned down. The two associations have been fighting over a route.
The strike has affected areas like Daveyton, Tembisa, Ivory Park, R562 Benoni, Alberton, Germiston, Palmridge, Zonkezizwe, Thokoza, and other surrounding areas.
Last Thursday, three people including a second-year student, were killed in Braamfontein. Another student sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Pictured above: The Germiston taxi rank.
Image source: Supplied
