Taxi protests turned violent in Cape Town on Monday morning, forcing the police to fire rubber bullets at stone-throwing strikers, a spokesman said.
One Golden Arrow bus was stoned in the Nfuleni area and nine people were arrested for public violence, said Warrant Officer November Filander.
“The police did fire some rubber bullets in Nyanga. There are no reports of any injuries,” he said.
One person was arrested for public violence in Nyanga, while eight others were arrested in the Nfuleni area.
“There was sporadic stone throwing at vehicles,” said Filander.
He said there were no taxis running on the main routes in Cape Town.
Taxi commuters were left stranded in Cape Town on Monday morning as members of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) started striking to protest against the provincial government.
“There's a lot of unhappiness amongst my members in the Western Cape,” said Santaco secretary general Philip Taaibosch.
“It is the only province in South Africa where you find that taxi operators are harassed in such a big way,” he told Sapa by phone.
Taaibosch said Santaco members were protesting about two matters - the red tape and “sloppiness” around the issuing of operating licences by the provincial government, and the “draconian” traffic laws.
He said authorities regularly impounded taxis without good reason.
“If he is a taxi operator, they just impound his vehicle,” said Taaibosch.
He said he had requested his colleagues in the Western Cape to try and set up a meeting with transport and public works MEC Robin Carlisle to discuss Santaco's concerns.
The strike will end once “the provincial leadership had decided that their issues had been addressed,” said Taaibosch. - Sapa