Mbalula calls for calm amid taxi protests

Mbalula spoke in Soshanguve, west of Pretoria on Monday afternoon after disgruntled taxi drivers blocked roads with burning tires and police fired rubber bullets. 

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in Gauteng embarked on strike action on Monday morning, with drivers demanding more money from government to compensate for loss of income during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Thousands of commuters had to find alternative transport or miss work as taxis refused to operate amid its disagreement with the government over its Covid-19 aid package. 

Mbalula announced a R1.1 billion aid package on Friday, but taxi associations claim this is not nearly enough to cover the whole industry.

The minister’s visit took a nasty turn when drivers and owners felt they were not being heard.

Mbalula told drivers that the government cannot be blamed for the virus and the disruption it has caused.

"We didn't bring Covid-19 here, Covid-19 came from hell. Ramaphosa, the president, did not bring Covid here," Mbalula said.

Mbalula reiterated that the government cannot afford to pay more than R5000 per taxi.

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"We have made it very clear that the money is not compensation. If we were to calculate the loss that the taxi industry has incurred as a result of the lockdown it goes into billions of rands.

"Whether the money is too little - I cannot say it is enough. It is a relief.

"I can't go beyond R5000 per taxi for the lockdown. We [government] aren't the position to provide what we can provide, We cannot go beyond that," he said.

He said while everyone has the right to protest, they do not have the right to block roads.

"These are my brothers if I ask the police to shoot them what will I gain?

"We must talk and I must lay my cards and tell that this is do-able and this is not and I am not going to lie to them.

"Yes, it's fine to protest because you are not happy but you have no right to close the roads.”