Cape community steps in as strike deteriorates

The taxi strike that brought Cape Town to a standstill this week, interrupting the economy, service delivery, healthcare, education, and even the food supply chain, has had an impact on the Cape Town Jewish community, especially its most vulnerable.

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape announced that it was going on strike in the afternoon of 3 August, after negotiations with the government around a new bylaw deadlocked. From one moment to the next, thousands were left stranded, unable to get home. Many stampeded buses and trains, and hundreds of people, including children, walked for tens of kilometres.

The strike left many communal institutions, private businesses, and homes without much-valued staff and service delivery. Within the city, many shelves were bare and services like refuse collection came to a halt.

The local Jewish aged home, Highlands House, had to call on community members to assist with serving meals to residents and even feeding the elderly. So many community members rallied to help from 4 to 6 August, that some had to be turned away. Other community members opened their homes to staff from communal institutions who couldn’t get home.

“Highlands House and affiliated welfare organisations have continued our services despite many operational challenges,” says Highlands House Executive Director Dr Leon Geffen. “On 4 August, limited staff made it to work safely and all contributed to delivering services to our residents. We persevered through incredibly trying circumstances over the weekend, with less than 40% of our typical staff complement, operationally affecting our cleaning crew, care crew, and kitchen crew most adversely. However, we managed to render all services safely and efficiently.”

Thirty volunteers assisted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “Some of our staff slept over on the weekend to ensure essential service delivery continued uninterrupted, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure their comfort and safety,” says Geffen.

One challenge, Geffen says, is to ensure that residents in the Memory Care Unit are assisted during mealtimes and in accessing the bathrooms. “We’ve been fortunate that we were able to meet every need to date,” he says.

Elisa Israel Metz says she volunteered at the home because she finds it meaningful to serve her community. “I was there on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. In the dining room, we were essentially waiters, asking residents what they would like to eat, serving them, chatting to them, and cleaning up afterwards. I was then asked to help feed people, which was humbling. I left exhausted but fulfilled. We’re so lucky that we have a community that can pull together. I’m thinking of other elderly people left in the lurch,” she says.

One Jewish pre-primary school reached out to its parents for mattresses and duvets to be dropped at the school so that staff who couldn’t get home could sleep at the school. Some parents invited staff to sleep at their homes. “I didn’t think twice,” says one mother who asked not to be named. “A teacher’s assistant and her son slept over. Some staff went to stay at other school families. Most staff aren’t coming in. The teachers are under an immense amount of pressure.”

Grant Isaacs’ sushi restaurant, Salushi, in the Cape’s southern suburbs, is one of the many small businesses that have been affected. “It’s been devastating,” he says. “On Friday [4 August] we were forced to close. I had a fully-booked restaurant. On Saturday [5 August], I managed to get private transport to collect staff at great risk and expense, just to be able to trade. Customers are unsure as to where we stand, so trade is sporadic.

“On Monday, I had probably 20% of my staff at the restaurant. They’re all petrified. Even though many have private cars, they’re not prepared to take to the road.” This is because vehicles have been attacked, including buses.

“In addition, the supply chain has been completely disrupted and we rely on fresh fish being delivered from the airport,” Isaacs says. “The airport roads are cut off [sporadically]. That’s again completely disruptive. The wastage [of expensive produce] adds to the devastation. Those of us who have been through the COVID-19 pandemic and then loadshedding, and now this, it’s just too much. I have no resilience left.”

Speaking to the SA Jewish Report on 7 August, one large business owner who asked not to be named said, “We had very few workers today and couldn’t operate. We closed at lunchtime.” On 8 August, he said four out of six of his branches were closed, and essentially the business couldn’t operate. “We’re at about 10% capacity in Cape Town.”

In a message to the residents of Cape Town, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said on Monday, 7 August, that the city wouldn’t negotiate “with a [literal] gun to our heads”. Lawyers acting for the city said that negotiations between city officials and Santaco had broken down because some Santaco representatives had arrived at negotiations with AK47s and assault rifles.

“There can be no further discussions with local Santaco leadership until their violence stops,” Hill-Lewis said. “The rule of law isn’t up for negotiation. This isn’t the way we’ll ever build a successful society in South Africa. The law applies equally to everyone.

“We’re protecting residents and commuters by opening roads, running buses with escorts, and arresting perpetrators of violence,” he said. “Most road closures and blockages have been cleared quickly, and traffic is free flowing for the most part.”

The Western Cape High Court on 7 August granted another interdict against Santaco and its affiliates, prohibiting them from unreasonably blocking roads with the intention of harming or delaying passengers using other modes of transport.

“On Friday [4 August] there was a productive meeting between the city, province, and Santaco, in which constructive proposals were made and agreed to,” Hill-Lewis said. “On Saturday, Santaco made entirely new demands, and since then, there has been an escalation of violence. Santaco is free to end its strike and accept the terms of Friday’s discussion at any time. If Santaco doesn’t choose to end its strike, then we will need to be prepared to stay the course.

“As ever, I’m grateful for the many people who have been in contact constantly to reaffirm their support for doing what’s right in spite of the difficulty,” he said.