Cape Town Taxi Strike Claims Five Lives: Photos

Cape Town Taxi Strike Claims Five Lives: Photos


Five‌ people have been⁢ killed in the⁣ South African city of Cape‌ Town as a strike by minibus taxi drivers that began ⁣last week turned violent, authorities said on Tuesday.

The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) announced⁣ a one-week provincial shutdown last Thursday after failing ‍to resolve various issues with the local government in Cape Town.

The grievances arose after a new municipal law​ gave local authorities the power to impound vehicles for violations‌ such as driving‍ without ‌a licence or registration plates.

Sporadic violence erupted in different parts of the city after police began impounding vehicles last week, as⁢ angry protesters torched ‌buses and cars, ⁢and pelted the police with stones.

Among the dead​ was a 40-year-old British national who was shot and killed​ on Thursday, South African Police Minister Bheki Cele said ‌in a media briefing ⁣on Tuesday, adding the murders and the violence were being investigated.

Cele said 120 suspects had ⁣been arrested since Thursday for damaging property, looting and public violence.

The office⁤ of the⁢ City of Cape Town said ‍the strike had severely affected people commuting⁤ to work and at times left⁣ them stranded due to attacks on⁢ public transportation⁢ services.

“In Cape Town, violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call‍ on SANTACO ⁣to return peacefully to the negotiation table,” said Cape Town city Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

SANTACO has distanced‍ itself from the violence and said such acts were fuelled by protesters, not its members.

Source from www.aljazeera.com

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