Hundreds of workers stranded for transport

CONFUSION and fear reigned among hundreds of stranded commuters during the taxi conflict over routes in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria.

Commuters told Sowetan how some feuding taxi operators confiscated cellphones of people they suspected of taking photos. They also said others were assaulted by the rioting drivers for trying to hold on to their phones.

Some commuters said when the situation turned rough, they did not know whether to return home for their safety or look for other means to go to work.

A group of workers, including a pregnant woman, in Spar grocery store uniforms spent hours near the Willows taxi rank hoping that an agreement would be reached and normal taxi operations would start.

At about 1pm, some desperate commuters said that they had been waiting outside the rank from about 8am and that they had alerted their employers about the disruptions.

The visibly concerned Spar employees said they had called their manager who only wanted them to come to work.

“I waited for two hours for a taxi at Denneboom taxi rank hoping to get a taxi until I decided to get a lift to Willows taxi rank where I have been stuck for almost oneand-a-half hours. I called my employer and he insisted that I should make means to report for work because some of my colleagues were already at work,” an employee said.

At Denneboom taxi rank, a young woman was worried that if she did not report for work, she might be fired or taken to a disciplinary hearing.

“When I spoke to my supervisor, I could sense anger in his voice. He would not just let it go without punishing me,” she said.