DJ Warras on taxi industry strike: The money they are asking for is worth paying

DJ Warras has joined in the conversation about the taxi industry and the relief it has requested from government as a result of the negative effects the lockdown has had on the industry, and believes government should give drivers what they are asking for.

On Monday, a taxi strike in Gauteng turned violent when police used rubber bullets to disperse taxi operators who had blockaded roads. 

TimesLIVE reported the one-day taxi protest was prompted by the government offering R1bn to the sector to limit the impact of Covid-19. However, the taxi industry said the offering was not nearly enough to provide relief, insisting on “at least R20,000 per vehicle”.

DJ Warras said he didn't see why government would fail to give the taxi industry more than the initial relief amount of R1bn. He said President Cyril Ramaphosa's initial figure of R500bn for relief should be more than enough to help the situation.

"Government can’t give the taxi industry what they want because they can’t tell us how much is left of the R500bn? And how was it/is it being dispensed," he said.

If there's one industry that "deserved" the help, the DJ believe the taxi industry is it.

"The billions they’re asking for to observe the rules for Covid19 -and transport the workforce daily - is worth paying," he said.

Fellow media personality Sizwe Dhlomo also had a lot to say about the relief the taxi industry is demanding from government.

"If we’re going to be fair though, the SA taxi industry exists as a direct failure of government. Government failed to provide a public transportation network for the millions of people who were and continue to be affected by spatial planning. Black people then made a plan," he said in his lengthy thread.

Sizwe agreed with Warras that the industry, and public transport as a whole, was important if SA wanted a healthy and thriving economy.

"Instead what we need to do is look at the value of their service economically, not just financially. You’ve been speaking about essential services for the past 90 days. It doesn’t get more essential than taxis in SA. They are the veins to SA’s economic body!"