A whopping R4 million. That is the amount of damage left by last week’s taxi strike.
According to the City of Cape Town, the figure is the initial assessment and excludes damage caused to certain buildings.
JP Smith, the City’s Mayco member for safety and security, said preliminary assessments revealed the taxi protest left an infrastructure damage running at more than R4 million.
This observation is just based on the damages the City is aware of and has been able to confirm with various property owners and entities affected by the violence.
On Thursday last week, the taxi bosses and drivers for both the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) and Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) embarked on a strike that left thousands of commuters stranded.
At least three Golden Arrow buses were damaged according to company spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer. “One of the buses was completely gutted and it cost R2,5 million to replace,” she said. “And other two buses were set alight with extensive damage although we could retrieve them.”
Dyke-Beyer added a number of windows were also damaged and the costs were yet to be determined.
Smith added: “So far, we have been able to ascertain the following losses: GABS – R3,5million, City of Cape Town – R275 000 and private vehicles – R380 000(estimated). These figures do not include the damage done to private vehicles, owners of which we have not been able to make contact with. Nor does it take into account the economic losses suffered by individuals and businesses because of the traffic gridlock, which meant people could not get to work on time, make deliveries on time nor meet their obligations to clients.”
Smith stated three City traffic officers received medical treatment after they were attacked on the N2 near the Raapenberg off-ramp. He said the list of incidents reported during Thursday’s chaos is extensive and includes vehicles being stoned, petrol-bombed, hijacked and looted.
“We have compiled a damage assessment report and submitted it to our Legal Services branch for consideration,” he said. “It cannot be the case that those behind violent protests are let off the hook time and again. A video has been doing the rounds which shows a taxi driving recklessly in the Cape Town CBD and as a result, two people fell out of the vehicle while it was in motion. The City’s traffic department has handed over a case docket for reckless and negligent driving to the police,” he said.
Approached for comment, Codeta refuted claims that they were involved in some of the damages caused around the city last week. The association labelled the allegations as baseless and unfounded.
Codeta spokesperson Andile Khanyi said the City is deceiving the community by suggesting that the association’s members were part of the people who vandalised the infrastructure and torched buses and vehicles.
“I think the City is confused by implicating our members to the violence that happened prior to the march. The torching of buses and vehicles happened in Nyanga and we had nothing to do with that,” he said.
Khanyi stated that even during the strike they were escorted by police officers. “I’m confused because we applied for the march and we had a peaceful march all the way to Cape Town,” he said. “As Codeta members were not involved in any incidents that were mentioned by the City.”
Efforts to get a comment from Cata spokesperson Mandla Hermanus failed. He didn’t pick up his cellphone, nor did he respond to the WhatsApp message sent to him.
Provincial police spokesperson WO Joseph Swartbooi confirmed a bus had been damaged at the Nyanga Bus Terminus as a result of stone throwing on Thursday 24 March, and the windows were broken.
The driver escaped unharmed, he added.
Swartbooi said according to reports taxis affiliated to both associations were driving in convoy on the N2 highway to Cape Town to protest. He said: “Three trucks and a quantum were set alight in separate incidents, and one bus was stoned in Bloekombos in Kraaifontein. The police and other law enforcement agencies were deployed in the areas and on the route to monitor the protesters.”
