Taxi strikes have taken a turn for the worse in Cape Town, forcing several restaurants to shut their doors to ensure the safety of their employees.
Taking to its social media platforms on Monday, The Golden Arrow Bus Service apologised to its commuters saying the situation “simply became too volatile”.
“We take our responsibility to our passengers very seriously and know that you depend on us to get home, but today's events made it impossible.
“Our drivers are scared and many of them are not willing to get behind the wheel and we understand this.
“This means that we have no idea what operations tomorrow (Tuesday) will look like and unfortunately it is impossible to predict which routes and times will be affected. (sic)”
On Tuesday morning, Golden Arrow said it was operating on limited services and had advised commuters to make alternative travel arrangements.
Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde said this violence is not only costing lives but also livelihoods, as people battle to get safely to work, as some operations come to a stand-still. And while this is not happening along all routes, it is having a severe impact on many residents.
Talk about operations coming to a stand-still, some restaurants had to close their doors to ensure safety. One such is Clarke's Bar and Dining Room.
In a Facebook post, they wrote that they had to close as their staff was unable to get transport to work. In another post, the restaurant noted that the risk of trying to get staff home using the restaurant's minibus is too high.
Another restaurant that has opted to close is Bao Down Mexican restaurant EL Burro.
“Both restaurants will be closed today due to the ongoing Cape Taxi violence. Just hope the taxi bosses come to a resolution very soon. hoping to reopen tomorrow. Today’s taco box orders will be honored,” said the team at EL Burro on their Instagram page.