Party says - despite attempts to destabilise routes

8 August 2023

The Provincial Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety has confirmed that despite attempts to block access to the airport approach road to Cape Town International Airport, law enforcement have cleared the roads. Furthermore, violent protest action was deescalated overnight.

I am further informed by the Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism that the airport remains fully operational with passengers arriving throughout the morning and being processed for their flights, albeit with some slight delays and staff shortages.

This is a welcomed step in ensuring investor and tourism confidence amid the SANTACO-WC minibus taxi stay-away, which has resulted in countless residents having been left stranded and without transport, and even trapped in their own homes, fearing for their safety should they travel.

At the same time, the joint efforts under the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, and SAPS in the Western Cape have gone a long way in promoting the safety of our residents and returning investor confidence to our shores. This includes:

As confirmed by SAPS, 120 arrests made and 162 criminal cases having been laid;

7 golden arrows busses have been torched, but service continue to operate; and

1500 additional deployed members from SAPS, POPs, Law Enforcement and Metro Police at strategic hotspots such as Mfuleni, Nyanga and Mitchells Plain.

Our most vulnerable communities, in particular, are being held at ransom by the inconsiderate and reckless actions of a few - and the provincial economy as a whole is being brought to a standstill. While we all have a constitutional right to protest, we do not have the right to damage property or endanger the lives of others.

In a similar strike action in November 2022, Mandla Hermanus, the provincial chairperson of SANTACO, noted that their two-day stay away resulted in the taxi industry incurring a daily loss of R9 million daily.

While official calculations regarding the financial impact of the ongoing taxi industry strike are still pending, we can draw insights from previous strike actions to estimate potential losses.

Of course, these strikes do not just impact the taxi industry, but further:

Cause damage to both personal and private property, including the damage to critical infrastructure. We have seen this in widespread public violence across the city and at least 2 people were shot dead on Monday in separate incidents. Golden Arrow buses, private and municipal vehicles have been burnt.

Undermine both investor and tourism confidence, with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development having issued a travel alert last Friday to British nationals who plan to visit Cape Town. This has the potential to reverse the significant progress that we have seen in recovering and growing our tourism sector since the pandemic.

As of 7 August 2023, 456 020 learners and 17 449 staff members have been prevented from getting to school, with the Cape Town metro education districts being the worst affected. This has the potential to reverse the immense progress made to address learning losses.

Increase workplace absenteeism with Business Day reporting on 7 August 2023 that the stay-away resulted in over 50% absenteeism in key sectors of the economy.

I will, therefore, be writing to the Provincial Minister of Finance, Economic Opportunities, and Tourism to ask what the financial implications of this stay-away has been on our provincial economy. I will further be engaging with the Chamber of Commerce to understand the toll taken on their stakeholders and the urgent measures needed to address them and reinstill business confidence.

We cannot allow the actions of a senseless few to bring our economy to a standstill. Promoting investor confidence, while ensuring the safety of our residents and commuters remains the utmost priority of the DA-led Western Cape.

Issued by Cayla Murray, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism, 8 August 2023