Cape Town – A bus driver was shot in the leg as the Cape Town taxi strike entered its second day on Friday.
Golden Arrow Bus Services told News 24 that two buses had been set alight in Khayelitsha and that a bus driver was shot in the leg.
While the taxi rank on the station deck in the city centre was deserted on Friday morning, JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayoral committee (Mayco) member on safety and security, reported that there had been incidents of stone throwing along the N7 in the vicinity of Dunoon and that tyres were burning in Atlantis, Bloekombos, Witsand and Borcherds Quarry. A vehicle was also set alight in Langa.
Smith said the City was monitoring hotspots and was working closely with police to respond to incidents. Bus services were being escorted to ensure the safety of consumers.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said several incidents of public violence had been recorded in Khayelitsha, Harare, Wynberg, Atlantis, Hout Bay and Milnerton. Buses, trucks and private vehicles had been torched or stoned, he said.
Rob Quintas, the City’s Mayco member for urban mobility, told EWN that Golden Arrow buses “remain operational at 90% capacity”.
“However, they are only servicing the periphery of Nyanga and Khayelitsha due to violence which includes a driver being shot and injured this morning in Khayelitsha. The city again calls for calm, and reminds taxi organisations that our door is open to resume engagements,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has condemned violence “from all parties involved”, and urged all parties to work together to solve the impasse.
It is crucial that all parties involved in this matter prioritise peaceful and constructive dialogue to resolve the issues at hand. The Minister urges all stakeholders to work together and find common ground, without resorting to violence. pic.twitter.com/PHvM79qn7j
— Department of Transport (@Dotransport) August 3, 2023
“Resorting to violence and acts of aggression not only undermines the rule of law but also jeopardises the safety and well-being of passengers, law enforcement officials and innocent bystanders. It is crucial that all parties involved in this matter prioritise peaceful and constructive dialogue to resolve the issues at hand,” she said.
She said on Friday that the Department of Transport expects to meet with both the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and officials in the City of Cape Town.
The strike, called by Santaco, was prompted by clashes between City law enforcement officers and taxi drivers in the city centre on Tuesday. Taxi drivers had blockaded the city centre in protest over the City’s impounding of taxis.
IOL has reported that the City of Cape has applied for an urgent interdict against violence associated with the strike.
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Compiled by: Robyn Leary
