A total of 101 people were arrested for various charges including that of public violence and attempted looting and 49 minibus taxis impounded on Monday.
This could be a relief for motorists after the Western Cape High Court granted the City of Cape Town a late night urgent interdict against Santaco’s taxi strike violence on Monday.
The order stated that no person, vehicle, taxi or driver may unreasonably obstruct, interfere or block any vehicle on any public road, throughout the City Metropole, in such manner as to harm passengers, or delay or impede the flow of traffic.
The interdict further prohibited any person from interfering with the operations of any transportation depot.
In a statement released on Monday night, Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith said ‘fake news’ and hoax protest alerts were doing the rounds but there is evidence to implicate individual of wrongdoing.
“A large body of evidence has been established which implicates those guilty of orchestrating the violence and disorder. Additional investigative resources from the City have now been made available to SAPS, to pursue the prosecution of those guilty of robbery, public violence and vandalism,” said JP Smith.
The impact of the taxi violence on education was immense.
The Western Cape Education Department said over 450,000 school pupils did not attend school on Monday due to the ongoing taxi violence wreaking havoc across the province.
The number has doubled from Friday’s 287,420 to 456,020, Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier said.
There are also several services affected, directly effecting residents.
As buses and taxis are having a stayaway, MyCiTi and Dial-a-Ride services and e-hailing services are affected.
Urban waste management, water and sanitation services, as well as community services and health are all being hit.
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