It was never entirely clear what Cape Town’s taxi operators hoped to achieve with their disastrous weeklong “strike” that left five people dead, destroyed buses and other infrastructure and disrupted the daily lives of thousands who rely on their services. Nor why, when negotiations over the issue had gone on for some months, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) decided on confrontation unless the city gave in to its demands over the impounding of taxis for various offences.      

The backdrop is an industry taking strain with high fuel prices, an economy still recovering from the Covid-19 lockdown and an apparent inability among many owners to finance their vehicles. This in a market that is hopelessly overtraded and also served by public transport excluding rail, which was once the backbone of the city’s transport infrastructure. ..

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.