WATCH: Chaos as passengers injured, buses torched and shooting incidents reported on first day of taxi strike

ToBeConfirmed

ToBeConfirmed

Published Nov 21, 2022

Share

Cape Town - One person has been arrested after a Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs) was hijacked with passengers in Khayelitsha on Monday morning.

Undercover law enforcement officers were able to intercept the bus, and the hijacker was arrested, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said.

The taxi industry strike, which was expected to continue until Tuesday, has seen a number of public violence incidents which have been labelled “cowardly attacks” by authorities.

In Khayelitsha, two Gabs buses were torched. A MyCiTi bus driver was forcefully removed by unknown persons, and the bus was set alight.

Two women were injured while jumping off a bus that came under attack also in the same area.

“The city's traffic, law enforcement, and metro police departments have all been busy since just after 5am, working with the SAPS to respond to the threatened public transport shut down and taxi strike. There has been fairly limited impact city-wide, other than in Khayelitsha, where Pama Road, Mongezi Road, Steve Biko Road and Japhta K Masemola Road have been affected, with further limited protest action this morning on Baden Powell Drive, which was quickly cleared,” said Smith.

MEC of mobility Daylin Mitchell said Gabs and MyCiTi services had to withdraw services in Khayelitsha but later on were reinstated under police and law enforcement escort.

Mitchell also received reports of shooting incidents in Khayelitsha and Nyanga.

Around 8am, it was still business as usual on national roads, with no incidents reported.

Cape Times