By Ebi Kesiena
On Monday, City authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, expressed concern after a taxi strike turned violent, leaving at least two people dead, roads blocked and thousands of commuters stranded.
According to the Police, a person was shot dead and three others injured after a motorist was pelted with stones on the road leading to the city’s airport.
Police said they could not rule out if the killing of an officer on Friday night in a township 20 kilometers southeast of Cape Town was linked to the strike, as it came while officers were “performing crime prevention patrols to quell taxi related incidents.”
Four buses belonging to the Golden Arrows Bus company operating in the city were set ablaze, allegedly petrol bombed after crossing road blockades staged by the striking taxi drivers.
Although, the South African National Taxi Council, Santaco, which has withdrawn all its member’s taxis, denied the association is behind the violence, the association’s deputy chairperson, Nceba Enge, criticized the city’s move to impound their vehicles, accusing Capetonian officials of sabotaging its taxi business.
“If your number plate is not properly fixed or cracked, your van will be impounded. If the lights are cracked, your van will be impounded. If the driver is not wearing a safety belt, your van will be impounded. So, we feel that it is unfair,” he said.
VOA reports that Western Cape province premier Alan Winde noted that the provincial government would not allow lawlessness from those penalized for breaking the law. He called for an end to violence.
Meanwhile, thousands of stranded commuters piled up at bus and taxi stations across the city, with hundreds opting to walk home late into the night while others slept at the stations as incidents of violence erupted.
The impact of the strike has been felt locally and abroad. Foreign teams who finished a Netball World Cup tournament in Cape Town had to be escorted by police to the airport.
Also, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office has issued a travel alert to its nationals.
