South African city of Cape Town’s public transport system has been paralysed after a taxi strike began last week, which has since turned violent and led to the death of two people, said the police, on Monday (August 7). Australia and the United Kingdom also issued a travel warning about the potential danger of travelling to Cape Town.
About the recent violence
At least two people were allegedly shot dead, in separate incidents during the taxi strike in Cape Town on Monday morning, said the police. The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa said that the first death occurred when a driver fired shots at a person who was allegedly pelting stones at the vehicles.
“An individual was shot dead and three others injured after a motorist was pelted with stones on Airport Approach Road. The driver responded to the attack by firing several shots,” said Potelwa, as quoted by News24. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
The police also found the body of a 28-year-old man, on Monday who had been shot multiple times, said the local media report. Separately, a report by AFP citing local officials said that a police officer was shot dead in a vehicle while patrolling a township 20 kilometres southeast of Cape Town, on Friday night.
“(The) possibility that the attack is related to the ongoing taxi strike cannot be ruled out,” said the police, adding that the officers were “performing crime prevention patrols to quell taxi related incidents”.
According to reports, multiple vehicles have been set on fire and several roads have been blocked, due to the protests, which has since left thousands of commuters stranded. In a statement, the local officials said that two government vehicles had been set on fire and one had been hijacked.
This was in addition to four other incidents of torching and stoning of private vehicles and shootings, on Monday, in “clear attempts to target City staff and infrastructure,” the statement added. As many as 30 people have been arrested, as per local media reports.
What is the taxi strike about?
The drivers of the minibus taxis, the main mode of transport for millions of working-class South Africans, went on a strike last week after 15 minibuses were impounded on Tuesday. The move was said to be in line with a new municipal by-law that allows the city to impound vehicles over offences such as driving without a licence, not displaying registration plates or overloading.
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), which called for the strike action, also claimed that around 6,000 vehicles had been impounded since the beginning of the year and said they were “left with no other option” due to “the frivolous impoundment operations run by government.”
Over the weekend, negotiations between SANTACO and the City of Cape Town over the recent taxi impoundments failed. The strikes are expected to go on till Wednesday (August 9).
The strike prevented as many as 456,020 learners and 17,449 staff members from getting to school, on Monday, reported Cape Times. Several health facilities reportedly remained closed due to roadblocks and violence.
Australia and UK’s travel advisory
On Monday, the British High Commission in South Africa issued a notice on Facebook due to the unrest, asking travellers to delay driving “to and from the airport until the route is cleared” as “GPS services could divert you into less secure areas or into ongoing protests”.
Similarly, the Australian government on its website said, “Ongoing taxi strikes in the Cape Town area have the potential to turn violent, potentially impacting multiple areas, including journeys to and from the airport.” It also advised travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution in South Africa due to the high level of serious crime.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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