Premier chairs extended provincial Cabinet meeting to respond to taxi strike
Premier Alan Winde chaired an extended meeting of the Western Cape Cabinet this morning where he receives updates on the ongoing minibus taxi strike. Apart from provincial Cabinet members, provincial Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Thembisile Patekile, along with mayors from various regions were also in attendance.
The violent strike continues to have a significant impact on Western Cape Government (WCG) and municipal services since it started on Thursday, 3 August 2023, with essential services – healthcare and education – disproportionately affected in the Cape Town metro.
Private businesses are also feeling the impact. “We have been communicating with stakeholders in the private sector as well as the Consular Corps to keep them abreast of everything we as the provincial government and our partners have been doing to address this issue. It angers and saddens me to see how law-abiding residents are being prevented from going about their everyday lives by this deadly thuggery. In our meeting this morning I again made it clear that those who break the law and place our residents at risk must face consequences.” said Premier Winde.
Law enforcement agencies must not hesitate in arresting those who block roads and loot shops. Premier Winde added, “I welcome the arrests and actions taken by our law enforcement officers and want to thank them too, for their work under intense pressure. I am deeply encouraged by civil society and faith-based organisations taking a stand against criminality. I must also commend regular residents who are looking out for one another and showing how we can come together in the toughest of times.”
The Premier stressed, “Our main objective is to protect law-abiding residents, businesses, and communities, to reopen the economy and restore calm and order. It is encouraging to see that the leadership of the South African National Taxi Council in the Western Cape (SANTACO-WC) is calling for calm. I appeal to the council to take every opportunity to ensure its affiliates respect and abide by the court interdicts granted by the Western Cape High Court to prevent further unrest. More importantly, negotiations must continue to end this strike, with further talks to resolve long-standing issues.”
The strike has drawn most of the province’s law enforcement resources away from other policing functions. This has led to opportunistic crimes such as looting. The Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) has played an important part in coordinating all efforts to respond to incidents of violence and to mitigate the impact of the strike.