SA’s biggest taxi association, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), has issued a stern warning to the EFF not to disrupt its operations on Monday in its planned mass protest.
The 100,000-member organisation said it could not afford to suspend taxi operations even for a day as it had been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and July 2021 riots that saw mass looting.
Santaco national spokesperson Bafana Magagula said the taxi industry had a high repossession rate of vehicles and Covid-19 had hit their pockets.
“The looting hit us very hard and we don’t even have a plan of what the people who are organising the strike have to avoid further damage to properties, which at the end of the day might be blamed on taxis.
“These people planned a stayaway without us, so we don’t even know what plans they have to avoid looting. We’re a business not a political party,” Magagula said.
Magagula also warned protestors not to disrupt taxis as they would be permitted to continue with their march.
“Taxis will be running on the day and not participating in the strike. We will be doing our job as we’ve instructed our drivers to take people to work like they normally do,” Magagula said.
“If they don’t disturb us we won’t disturb them and the people who need to ensure there’s no chaos are the public order police, who must maintain peace on the day. As Santaco, we can’t ensure anything.”
EFF leader Julius Malema said nothing would stop the EFF from forging ahead with its mass protest.
“I can tell you with ease, let any boy or girl come and try to stop me, he will meet his maker. When he leaves in the morning, he must kiss his mother goodbye,” Malema said.
He also said the DA’s court application to interdict the protest was baseless.
“Why would you think there is going to be violence on the day if you are not the one planning the violence? The DA knows they are going to deploy forces and agent provocateurs to interfere. But we are very vigilant and ready for their people on that day,” he said.
In the DA’s court papers, filed in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the EFF had not taken steps to ensure the protest would not descend into violence and chaos. He said instead the EFF had “threatened to force the closure of all schools, retail stores, businesses and public roads across South Africa and to take all means necessary or possible to do so”.
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) managing director Cas Coovadia said Busa, which represents established businesses, has received assurances from the government that businesses and workers would be safe on the day.
“We’ve been talking to the government and we’ve also talked to the police and they’ve assured us they will bring out [law enforcement agencies] to ensure that our property and people are protected. We’ll have to see on the day,” said Coovadia.
“Look, the recent Nehawu strike and the response of the police doesn’t leave one with confidence. But we are calling on law enforcement agencies to ensure that the strike is within the law.”
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure has put measures in place to ensure the safety and security of all people living in SA during the planned protest.
She said law enforcement officers would remain on high alert to prevent and combat any criminality.
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