Residents of Pretoria will have to make alternative arrangements for transport on Wednesday 18 November 2020 due to a taxi strike, says the National Taxi Alliance (NTA).
Pretoria taxi strike: Industry aggrieved by Mbalula
In a statement released on social media, the taxi coalition confirmed that its members will embark on a peaceful protest, calling for the attention of Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula.
The NTA is aggrieved with Mbalula’s handling of the taxi industry in the pandemic. These grievances, the statement reads, were detailed in two letters that were sent to the transport minister on 26 August 2020 and 30 September 2020.
‘What happened to the Covid-19 Relief Fund?’ – NTA
It was advised in both letters that Mbalula had until the end of October to furnish a response to the taxi industry.
“In summary, the National Taxi Alliance is aggrieved by the minister’s intransigence in affording it a right enshrined in Chapter Two Section 18 of the Bill of Rights, freedom of association,” the NTA said.
Moreover, the coalition is demanding answers from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mbalula on the whereabouts of the Covid-19 Relief Fund that was promised.
“The NTA will, as a result, embark on a peaceful protest march to deliver its grievances, contained in two memorandums of grievance to the minister of transport and the president, respectively,” the statement read.
Pretoria taxi strike: Road closures on Wednesday 18 November 2020
The protest is scheduled to kick off at 09:00 at the old Putco depot in Marabastad, Pretoria. The marchers, expected to gather in their hundreds, will head to the Union Buildings using this route:
- Depart Cowie Street and head to the department of transport offices at Bosman and Paul Kruger Road, via Struben Street:
- Once memorandum has been handed to the dept. of transport, marchers will return to Struben Street.
- The protest will then head to the Union Buildings on Madiba Street, via Nelson Mandela Drive.
The taxi strike is, according to the NTA, expected to conclude at 15:00 and shouldn’t interfere with peak traffic.
Also, the coalition has vowed to ensure that the strike action doesn’t impede on the matric finalists’ examinations in any way.