With a taxi strike looming, members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) were out in full force to ensure violence doesn’t erupt.
Sergeant Wesley Twigg, spokesperson for the SAPS, warned that violence would not be tolerated, even while noting that the SAPS are on alert and will ensure people don’t take the law into their hands.
Taxi operators are striking to push for the expansion of the R215 million Blue Dot pilot program, which is set to stop by the end of the month if more funds are not channeled into it.
The Blue Dot Pilot Program is a partnership between the provincial government and the taxi industry and has been around for a while. Unimpressed with the prospect of the partnership ending, particularly as it will affect taxi drivers, SANTACO called for a strike, with members throwing their hats in the ring.
While the police are on high alert and have warned commuters and protesters that violence would not be tolerated, the SAPS have still not been able to put everyone in check, as about two buses have been burned so far in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
How soon until normalcy? The coming days might have the answer. Stay tuned.
