DA Condemns Gauteng Taxi Blockade

15 June 2017

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Ismail Vadi, must, as a matter of urgency, engage with taxi operators blockading major routes around Gauteng to ensure that ordinary citizens’ right to freedom of movement are not impeded by the strike.

The DA recognises the right to strike as an important part of our democratic dispensation, however, this right may not prevent fellow South Africans’ right to work and right to get an education.

In light of this, the DA condemns the actions by taxi operators in Gauteng today. The blockades embarked upon by these operators have severely affected the rights of fellow citizens.

Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi–Malobane, must mobilise the Gauteng Traffic Police to protest hotspots to ensure that there is a free–flow of traffic.

We also call on MEC Vadi to engage with taxi operators to prevent similar action in future.

Exercising the right to strike cannot be allowed to justify the denial of the rights and freedoms of fellow South Africans.

Issued by Fred Nel, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport, 15 June 2017