Monday’s Cape Town taxi strike is the subject of furore on social media after it was alleged that some companies forced employees to sleep at work to avoid productivity loss.
Cape Town taxi strike: Here’s what Capita employees revealed
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has embarked on a province-wide strike in response to the Western Cape government’s decision to pull the plug on its ‘Blue Dot’ initiative, an incentive program the Department of Transport and Public Works used reward driver behaviour and recognise higher service quality.
In response, one of the biggest transport organisations in the country with thousands of members in the Western Cape is set to park its fleet of taxis, most of which service key routes in and out of the centre city, for at least two days, to highlight the importance of taxis in the public transit industry.
To mitigate the impact of the Cape Town taxi strike, many companies have turned to remote work alternatives where necessary and, in some cases, employees residing in areas likely to experience violence and unrest were told to stay at home.
However, according to several users who took to social media to air their grievances, Capita, a UK telecommunications company with offices in Cape Town, allegedly sent out a chain message encouraging employees to sleep at work to avoid losing capacity in the three days the taxi strike is meant to last.
Here is the text message doing the rounds:
More employees surfaced with video footage showing workers sleeping on a call centre floor. While Capita had not returned our request for comment at the time this article was published, many disgruntled voices online suggest this may have been at one of the telecoms giant’s Cape Town branches.
What’s the latest on the strike?
Despite SANTACO’s plea for a peaceful strike, several spurts of unrest linked to the Cape Town taxi shutdown were reported on Monday.
As reported by IOL News, two passenger-carrying buses were torched in Khayelitsha.
The unrest, at this time, is concentrated in the eastern periphery and affecting commuters in:
- Khayelitsha
- Nyanga
- Gugulethu
- Langa
City of Cape Town traffic services spokesperson Kevin Jacobs warned motorists travelling in and around these areas to practice extreme caution and, where possible, avoid them at all costs.
“The routes affected include Pama, Mongezi, Steve Biko and Japhta K Masemola roads. Motorists are advised to proceed with caution,” Jacobs said.