Pretoria - Employers in the metro should brace themselves for a no-show from their workers again today due to a planned shutdown by various organisations.
Organiser Jomo Rapholo, part of the Inwoners Baaghi Civic Movement, said they had garnered support from almost all the local taxi associations, bus commuters, workers unions and residents from all the townships across the metro.
“We have made a lot of inroads and everyone seems to be on board. We are expecting 13 000 people to occupy the streets of the CBD en route to the Union Buildings to hand over a memorandum,” he said.
Protesters are expected to gather at the Old Putco depot in Marabastad from 9am. From 10am they will march to the Union Buildings to hand over the memorandum.
Rapholo said the organisation comprised local and civic organisations from all seven regions of the metro.
They are unhappy about crime, service delivery and power outages. Also listed in the memorandum was a lack of accessible health care. The marchers will also be urging the government to subsidise taxis.
However, SA National Taxi Association (Santaco) Tshwane chairman Motlhabane Tsebe said their taxi associations were not part of the shutdown.
“We were surprised to see the pamphlet circulating on social media and implicating us,” he said. Tsebe said there had been no communication between them and the shutdown organisers.
Minister of Transport Dr Blaze Nzimnade said he had also learnt about the shutdown on social media, but could not confirm its authenticity.
Sakhile Ndlazi