Cape Town travellers in limbo as taxi disruption triggers major flight delays - News24

“Normal operations” had resumed at Cape Town International Airport on Friday afternoon after taxi industry disruptions earlier in the day, where hundreds of travellers were packed into the departures area due to major flight delays.

The taxi disruptions led to staff shortages, which affected operations.

Some flights departed up to two hours late, according to stranded travellers.

“Cape Town International Airport confirms that staffing levels have stabilised,” it said in a short statement on its social media channels.

It encouraged travellers to continue monitoring their flight status directly with the relevant airline or via the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) app, and allow sufficient time for travel to the airport.

On Friday morning, ACSA had issued an advisory warning that passengers travelling to and from the airport should anticipate possible traffic disruptions and delays due to ongoing taxi-related unrest.

The provincial mobility department said it had noted reports of “an unofficial taxi go-slow affecting parts of Cape Town” on Friday.

“Early morning monitoring confirmed disruptions at several taxi ranks, with services either suspended or operating at reduced capacity,” department spokesperson Byron la Hoe said.

In Nyanga and Wynberg, no taxis were operating.

Limited services were running from Mfuleni, Langa and the Cape Town Station Deck.

“The department has received no formal communication from the taxi industry regarding the suspension or reduction of services. These disruptions come amid intensified government efforts to end taxi-related violence and protect commuters. The department is currently considering legal options to address the ongoing conflict,” said La Hoe.

Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku has reiterated that commuters must not bear the consequences of disputes within the taxi industry.

The taxi disruptions started when violence hit the city on Tuesday and Wednesday. Three people were killed, and six were wounded in Delft, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Gugulethu.

Some transport interchanges were temporarily closed as a result.

The violence continued into Thursday, with Samora Machel police responding to a shooting incident at about 07:45 on the R300, in which two men were injured.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel FC van Wyk said that two taxis were travelling from Mfuleni.

When they stopped at a traffic light, two men opened fire on the vehicles. One driver and a passenger were injured. There were no injuries in the second taxi, although both vehicles were damaged.

Despite limited taxi services running on Thursday, by Friday afternoon, Urban Mobility MMC Rob Quintas said no taxi-related incidents were reported by police and “SAPS, City and Western Cape government safety services are maintaining presence and visibility at ranks, stations, and along various routes across the city”.

 “All other public transport services are fully operational and ready to get commuters home for the weekend,” Quintas said.

“I look forward to engaging Santaco, Cata and Codeta along with the Western Cape provincial government on Monday.”

News24 understands that scores of commuters chose to avoid their usual taxi routes and opted for alternative forms of transport instead. Some businesses provided e-hailing services for their staff to ensure a safe commute.

Woolworths said that it had been affected by the recent taxi disruptions.

“On Thursday, several of our Western Cape stores closed early so employees could get home safely. For the same reason, we closed delivery slots for Woolies Dash in some areas, but our standard online delivery service has not been affected, and we are keeping customers updated through the Woolies app,” the company said.

Woolworths stores opened as planned on Friday morning.

“Our teams are monitoring the situation closely, and are on standby to make adjustments in the interest of keeping everyone safe.”

Shoprite and Checkers said that as a “precautionary measure”, some of their stores “closed a little earlier” on Thursday afternoon “to enable employees to travel home safely”.

All stores are open and trading as normal on Friday, the group said.

It did not confirm whether disruptions to the Sixty60 service were related to taxi-related unrest.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the latest information on airport and taxi operations.

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