Taxi drivers frustrated by student protest
Defiant students brought Pretoria central to a halt on Thursday evening as they blocked the city’s busiest intersections.
The students, calling themselves the Occupy Higher Education Movement, earlier clashed with police at the department of basic education headquarters along Francis Baard (formerly) Schoeman Street.
After they were dispersed by police, using water canons, the protesters marched along Francis Baard before turning into arguably Pretoria central’s busiest street – Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Van der Walt) Street.
Rush hour traffic piled for kilometers behind the students, who were being escorted by numerous Tshwane metro police and SAPS officers.
Numerous frustrated taxi drivers disembarked from their packed vehicles and came to the students. Unmoved, the young protesters sat on the road, at the junction of Lilian Ngoyi and Madiba (formerly Vermeulen) Streets.
Taxi driver Arnold Thabiso Khoza said the interruptions to his business would cost him, but he supported the students’ fight.
“The black child is making a statement. We cannot only be doing low jobs while this is our country. If I was also in school, no doubt I would be protesting,” said the father of two.
“But I think they need to minimize their disruption on business. We are not here to play. We have families to feed.”
After spending moments at the junction, the students started dispersing in all direction. Some of the protest leaders were urging them to congregate at Church Square, in the CBD on Friday morning.