Gauteng motorists traveling to OR Tambo International this morning have encountered a protest being staged by metered taxis on major highways throughout Gauteng.
The metered taxis formed a blockade near the Barbara Road off-ramp in protest of the lack of regulation surrounding Uber in South Africa.
“We need to get clarity. Today we’re prepared to die here. The police are usually shooting people who are demonstrating for their rights. So they must kill us for our own rights,” metered tax driver Sekwala Mashikinya told EWN.
Motorists are – as one would expect – fuming at the situation with many taking to Twitter to voice their complaints about the protest action.
These Metered taxi drivers are annoying! Why should you dictate how I choose to spend MY money? #taxistrike
— Zamathenjwa (@Zamathenjwa_) March 10, 2017
Some folks saw the silver lining in the massive delays.
#TaxiStrike hahhaa , I'm working from home today because of this, thanks to technology. Metered taxis should wake up and smell the Ethernet
— Mark Sayers (@Voidy123) March 10, 2017
Others had advice for the metered taxi industry.
Meter taxis should up their game, else #Uber takes over. Customers always prefer convenience, effectiveness and efficiency. #TaxiStrike
— ♛The Trillest King♛ (@TumediTreezy) March 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/Lukie_Buthane/status/840096562621501441
At time of writing we’ve spotted some Twitter users saying that the R24 toward OR Tambo International Airport is clear.
https://twitter.com/The_C_Word79/status/840099461896400896