Taxi strike should not involve all EC’s road users

Taxi operators, like any other lawabiding citizens, have a right to go on strike and withhold their services. They can march to the seat of the provincial government in Bhisho to air their grievances. And on Wednesday, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) is to lead a major strike of all the taxi associations in the province. This will obviously adversely affect the local economy.

No one can deny the crucial role played by the taxi industry in the SA economy. If anything they are a crucial cog in getting our economy to work. The majority of the millions of working South Africans are in low-paying jobs and rely on minibus taxis to commute to and from work.

It is estimated that 65% of commuters who use public transport rely on minibus taxis. The remainder is shared between buses and trains.

The industry, which is still unregulated, is estimated to be generating as much as R50bn annually, with over 200,000 minibus taxis on our roads.

Taxi operators know the enormous power they possess, hence they have vowed to shut down the

on Wednesday. The provincial transport department has called on taxi operators to behave during their strike.

Given the uncertainty and the violent history of the industry, stakeholders have chosen to take a cautious approach. The department of education responded by postponing trial exams for matrics scheduled to be written on Wednesday.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa announced that it would close its factory for the day. This is a judicious and necessary approach as Santaco’s provincial secretary Vusumzi Mbewu made it clear that they will be “closing all major roads”. He said: “We will be targeting the busiest roads without any exception. The only thing that will be allowed to pass are ambulances and the police”. Not only is this a selfish statement but also a reckless one. Santaco’s gripe is with the provincial department of transport and if anything, they should take their grievances to Bhisho and not inconvenience the entire road-using population. Shutting down the economy will do enough damage to an already economically depressed province. But blocking roads is taking it a bit too far. Road users should exercise caution and not place themselves in dangerous situations. Be safe on the roads.

Santaco should take their grievances to Bhisho and not inconvenienceprovince the entire road-using population