The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) says it has not yet resolved to organise a national shutdown to protest against the spiraling fuel prices.
This comes after it was reported that the two of the country’s biggest taxi associations – the National Taxi Alliance and Santaco – are lobbying trade union Cosatu and other civic groups to join a national shutdown over.
They say these increases have made the cost of living unaffordable, placing financial strain on commuters.
Santaco Chief Strategic Manager Bafana Magagula says their national executive committee will decide on the way forward around a possible shutdown.
“The national executive committee will still sit down and look into the fuel increase issue and there after take a decision which that decision will then be pronounced properly by the president of SANTACO for the country to follow. At the moment no decision has yet been taken. We would like the commuters, South Africans and everybody to get that very clear that there is at the moment no shutdown.”
Taxi industry plans for a national shutdown over spiralling fuel prices
Reaction to fuel price increase
Petrol prices increased by R2.43 per litre last week, while diesel prices increased by just over R1 per litre. The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin has risen by R1.56 per litre.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says it’s only a non-caring government that will not be ashamed to allow the steep increase of fuel in a poverty-stricken country.
EFF spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys says, “The EFF has been on the repeat that the ANC government has absolutely no interest in improving the lives of ordinary South Africans. They have no appreciation for the daily struggle that we face every single day to survive. They also have no plan to improve the economy so that it can benefit all South Africans and our economy will remain in this state because the ANC is hellbent on it’s neo-liberal economic planning.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is outraged, claiming that rising fuel prices harm everyone, especially the poor. DA’s Shadow Minister for Energy, Kevin Mileham, states that they had gathered signatures to repeal the general fuel levy.
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