Taxi drivers strike tomorrow

By Tando Mfengwana
25 October 2006

Western Cape Taxi Drivers are going on strike tomorrow on what they say is their victimisation from law enforcement official.

He says that taxi drivers are complaining of harassment from Traffic officials in the highways, as they are targeted as the only traffic offenders.

Drivers have accumulated a lot of warrants reaching up to R40 000 to R90 000 and they have been arrested.

The drivers have no union that represents them and they are in a planning process of formulating an organisation to represent them. At the moment a task committee is formulating a union.

Taxi drivers say that they want to be recognised as any other employee, as this is not the case in the Western Cape, according to Leon Mbandezela who is commissioned by the taxi driver to organise the march.

The strike is only expected to be a one day event, but Mr Leon Mbandezela who is appointed to the task team that organised the strike action to take place tomorrow.

But he says that if they receive hostility from the government they will continue to strike for the rest of the week.