[imagesource: Alex Mitchley / @AlexMitchley / Twitter]

A taxi strike is in full swing in Gauteng where the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) is protesting outstanding COVID-19 relief fund payments.

The aim of the protest action is to hand over a memorandum to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and President Cyril Ramaphosa to air grievances that the taxi association didn’t receive any of the R1 billion in allocated relief funds.

They say that Mbalula promised to provide funding during the national lockdown, noting that massive income losses were accrued due to restrictions on operations.

Via The Citizen, in a meeting that took place yesterday, the taxi industry assured the Tshwane Bus Service that the protest would be peaceful.

“At our meeting with the taxi industry yesterday they indicated that the protest would start at 10am and that it would be peaceful, hence we allowed our buses to operate early this morning and we were going to withdraw them just before the protest got underway. Our drivers have been warned to not operate in the Orchards area.”

The withdrawal and warning comes after the Tshwane Bus Service announced this morning that one of its vehicles had been hijacked in the Orchards area, allegedly by taxi drivers.

Passengers onboard were kicked off the bus:

Physically kicking us off Tshwane bus, when buses are on strike taxis operate as normal no one disrupts them kodwa bona manje @Tshwanebus2 @MbalulaFikile #Nationaltaxistrike can we please be protected, or should we accept that taxis govern themselves pic.twitter.com/QSw3TTXF3r

— Wandile Masango (@WandileMasango2) November 18, 2020

Further incidents have been reported including a driver who was allegedly attacked, as well as blockades in several areas, and on major routes throughout Gauteng.

@Abramjee @MbalulaFikile @SAPoliceService #TaxiMarch #TaxiStrike pic.twitter.com/N6mHIECl06

— Vernon Naidoo (@Vernon242) November 18, 2020

In Pretoria, protesters targeted and tried to loot a liquor truck before SAPS intervened. Alex Mitchley, on Twitter, reports seeing taxi drivers hitting a City of Tshwane branded vehicle with sticks and knobkerries.

Videos and images are have been flooding Twitter throughout the day, under the hashtag #TaxiStrike:

#TaxiStrike Pretoria CBD

pic.twitter.com/foIJJFdMxr

— AFRICA ANALYST. (@MightiJamie) November 18, 2020

Taxi strike #N1 north #TaxiStrike #TaxiMarch #ladyzamar #Sjavamustrise #Teddy pic.twitter.com/q6eVDWWl7O

— Thando Kubheka (@ThandoPearl) November 18, 2020

#TaxiStrike Two taxis got into accident on Francis Baard street in Pretoria. This happened as NTA leading a taxi march to Union Buildings today. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/GPxiM9TqV4

— Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) November 18, 2020

R573 Moloto Road 🥺#TaxiStrike pic.twitter.com/6TqFLrRwCM

— Vanessa🌹 (@VanessaNZondo) November 18, 2020

#TaxiStrike pic.twitter.com/gt7luxkVkV

— Mzansi Petrol Headz (@MzansiPH) November 18, 2020

This people when they strike they make sure 😦🤦🏾‍♀️ no taxi nothing 🙆🏽‍♀️🙆🏽‍♀️ #TaxiStrike pic.twitter.com/jBdg7yGsRi

— 🕊sheron_ntombizodwa🕊 🌹 (@NtabanyanemS) November 18, 2020

Taxi blockades. N1 N/S Soweto, R80 and N4 East of Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/cnhcqCANQd

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) November 18, 2020

Matric students affected by the strike will be given a maximum of an hour’s grace to arrive at the testing venue.

At the time of writing, the taxi drivers are getting ready to head on over to the Department of Transport to hand over their memorandum of grievances, following which they will head to the Union Buildings.

[source:citizen]