The Cape Town taxi strike is set to resume on Monday, 7 August 2023, following a breakdown in talks between industry leaders and the provincial government.
Talks to end Cape Town taxi strike deadlocked: Here’s everything we know
Cape commuters will have to find alternative means of transport when the work week starts on Monday.
This comes after taxi associations led by the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) failed to reel the Western Cape government in on its list of demands, which include the release of impounded minibuses, and a pardon for several taxi drivers linked to criminal investigations, among others.
In a statement, SANTACO revealed that, following a two-day meeting with the provincial government, “the stay-away will continue until Wednesday, 9 August, as initially announced.”
The taxi association further distanced itself from violent incidents linked to the strike and called on its operators to “not interfere with other modes of transport and not take part in any criminal activities.”
Of course, what’s said on paper has not exactly translated in reality, since, this weekend alone, incidents linked to the Cape Town taxi strike include the murder of Cape Town LEAP officer, Zanikhaya Kwinana, arson attacks on at least six Golden Arrow buses, and among others, the coordinated petrol-bombing incident at the provincial government depot in Delft that destroyed a fleet of law enforcement vehicles on Saturday night.
Western Cape govt release incident report on strike
In a statement, MEC for public safety and security JP Smith called on SANTACO to accept responsibility for the 110 criminal cases linked to the taxi strike.
“While SANTACO has attempted to distance itself from the criminal acts witnessed in the last five days, the organisation should have anticipated that calling for the strike would have resulted in this chaos – as is the case every single time – and they have to accept responsibility,” Smith said.
Smith made it abundantly clear that while the City still awaits SANTACO to return to the previously established task team, “there can be no points of negotiation around the enforcement of national legislation.”
“The safety of commuters and road users in general, must remain the priority for all concerned,” Smith said.
Some of the incidents related to the Cape Town taxi strike recorded this weekend include:
- the petrol bombing of a depot in Delft;
- arson attacks on three vehicles in Makhaza; and
- public violence in Altantis.
–