Workers paying the price for Clermont and KwaDabeka taxi strike
Some workers call this taxi strike a blow to their livelihoods.
THOUSANDS of commuters from Clermont and KwaDabeka were left stranded yesterday and today, Wednesday, as a strike by Clermont and KwaDabeka Taxi Owners Association spilled over into Pinetown and other parts of Durban west, disrupting the lives of workers, students, and small business owners.
The strike, triggered by anger over the continued impoundment of taxis by local traffic authorities, has impacted badly on commuters, especially workers, as some had resorted to hitchhiking and walking to get to their workplaces.
Today we took to the streets to get the views of workers on how the strike has impacted their lives. Some workers call this taxi strike an inconvenience. For many it is more than a transport headache; it is a blow to their livelihoods.
Sindiswa Khumalo, a worker from A-Section in KwaDabeka, was among those stranded.
“This taxi strike is an inconvenience. I have been forced to miss work for two days now. When I arrived at the taxi stop this morning, there were no taxis at all. I am fustrated by this strike of which I dont know when things will get back to normal,” she said. “I don’t know if my employer will understand, but what choice do I have?”
ALSO read: City calls urgent meeting with taxi strikers
For Nokuthula Majola, a domestic worker in Hillcrest, the consequences were harsher.
She said: “At my workplace there’s a condition of no work, no pay. Since there are no taxis, it means I had to go back home. This is bad for me because I live from paycheck to paycheck. Missing even one day’s wages is painful and my boss had shouted at me this morning for missing work again.”
Another office worker, Pam Ngwane, said it is frustrating not to have taxis, especially for two days. “Yesterday I had to phone my manager to come and fetch me from Pinetown CBD to my workplace in New Germany. Today, I asked for lifts to get to work and I will do the same in the afternoon.”
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