City taking extraordinary measures to protect commuters, residents while SANTACO strike continues

8 August 2023

‘The City has, since Thursday last week, been deploying all its resources to protect commuters, City facilities, and private property as best we can against those who believe they are above the law, and can trample the basic rights of peace-loving residents, trying to earn a living.

‘Protecting commuters is our number one priority, and I was glad to join residents on a bus escorted by law enforcement from Mitchells Plain to Town this morning.

‘Tuesday has been a quiet morning on Cape Town’s roads, and my thanks goes to every City official and SAPS officer working together out there to keep people safe.

‘This follows our interdict obtained late last night against SANTACO’s taxi strike violence. The interdict covers attempts to blockade routes and threaten commuters, which further empowers the ongoing good work by authorities.

‘We reiterate our call on SANTACO to return peacefully to the negotiation table,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Efforts to promote safety and security of MyCiTi bus service:

- Law Enforcement has been constantly monitoring all of the MyCiTi bus routes for any incidents or threats of violence since Thursday afternoon, 3 August 2023, when the strike started

- At least 200 bus trips are being monitored and 72 bus trips escorted, as needed, from 05:00 in the morning until the last bus is back at the depot at 23:30 on a daily basis

- Law Enforcement vehicles are physically patrolling volatile areas, and respond to emergencies or requests for assistance

‘I cannot begin to explain how much effort and care is going into these daily operations to protect MyCiTi staff and commuters, and all other operators who may need our assistance. I want to assure the City officials that their hard work and dedication are paying off, and is appreciated. This morning I had first-hand experience of how much these efforts mean to ordinary people who just want to get on the bus, and get to work so that they can feed their families. All of those responsible for the violence and disruptions must know that we can only resolve challenges when we commit to constructive dialogue,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

Impact on City services

MyCiTi bus service, Dial-a-Ride

The City is monitoring the MyCiTi bus routes, and areas where the Dial-a-Ride service operates, and will continue to do so for as long as the minibus-taxi strike continues.

The N2 Express service operating between the Civic Centre and Khayelitsha remains suspended until further notice

The 261 from Adderley station to Century City remains suspended

All other MyCiTi routes are operational at the moment; however, some routes operating close or around Dunoon, Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu have some buses turning short as necessitated by the situation

Law Enforcement vehicles are escorting the buses and vehicles on routes that are volatile, and where incidents of violence have been reported.

The situation changes continuously, and the City will keep on suspending and reinstating operations accordingly.

Those who rely on the minibus-taxi industry for commuting are advised to make alternative travel arrangements or arrange to work from home wherever possible. We will keep the public informed as best we can.

Urban Waste Management

Collections: The City’s waste collection services have been affected by the violent protests and intimidation. Every effort is being made to ensure services can continue where it is possible and safe to do so, and any remaining backlog will be cleared as soon as possible. Teams will work tomorrow on the public holiday as usual if the situation allows. We urge affected residents not to dump illegally and to please keep waste on their property until it is safe to clear the backlog. As the protest situation is dynamic, it is not possible to provide a schedule for areas that will be cleared at this stage, however, the oldest backlogs will be prioritised.

Cleansing: Internal cleansing services (such as programmes running in CBDs and main thoroughfares) have also been affected, adding to existing challenges around rollout of contracted services in informal settlements. We urge residents to assist us by cleaning their areas where possible as well as reporting those who dump their waste illegally on 0800 110077. For every fine and conviction, we will offer you a reward from R1000 up to R5000.

Drop-offs: Residents should please be aware that Hout Bay and Kommetjie sites have already been closed completely due to arson threats. Furthermore, many drop-offs are currently reaching capacity for certain waste types, as there is currently no haulage service available to remove containers due to disruption from the protest. Further sites may need to close during the course of the day as they run out of capacity, or are subjected to threats. We ask residents to please bear with us if sites are not open, or will not accept certain materials, when they visit. Please also note that unless haulage capacity can be restored today, it is likely that all drop-offs will be closed tomorrow.

Water and Sanitation responding to emergencies with limited staff

Residents are advised that services have been delayed and will be attended to as soon as it is safe to do so. Operational teams are working on stand-by, co-ordinated remotely by depot management who are monitoring service requests and sending teams out to attend to severe needs outside of hotspot areas.

No new incidents of arson and vandalism have been reported. The threatening of City staff while doing their functions remains an impacting factor on all of our services.

A number of depots have reported no staff arriving for duty, which means there is a limited capacity and available skillsets such as plumbers and artisans, to respond to service requests. Staff have been unable to get to work either because they live in these volatile areas or have to pass through them and risk their lives doing so.

Until the situation changes drastically to serviceable levels, the City can unfortunately not guarantee services to informal settlements which remain severely affected. This is due to safety concerns for the staff and contractors as well as the protection of the specialised equipment and vehicles used during the execution of their functions.

All water treatment plants are operational, the City ensures that the water quality to its consumers remains compliant to the South African National Standards for drinking water (SANS 241).

Some electricity services disrupted

City electricity services continue to be impacted in areas such as Blue Downs, Nomzamo, Lwandle, Mfuleni, Hout Bay, Parkwood, Wetton, Lotus River, Ocean View, Hout Bay, Langa, Hanover Park, Manenberg, Joe Slovo, Masiphumelele, Bonteheuwel, Dunoon, Witzand, Killarney Gardens and Fisantekraal and almost all areas of informality. Please note that service disruptions in one area often impact other areas as well. For the time being, teams are only deployed for emergency work if accompanied by law enforcement.

The City apologises for the inconvenience.

Customer offices: account payments, housing offices; motor vehicle registrations

The City's customer offices continue to be impacted with limited service in affected areas. The following City Customer offices are closed.

- Fezeka Customer office

- Belhar Walk-in Centre  

- Airport Industria Vehicle Registration Centre

- Delft Walk in Centre

- Stocks and Stocks (Khayelitsha) Walk-in Centre

- Athlone Walk-in Centre

- Langa Walk-in Centre

- Joe Gqabi Driving Licence Testing Centre

The safety of customers and our staff is our priority. We ask customers to please phone ahead to see if an office is open or to make use of online services where possible.

For account payments and online payments:

Online: www.Easypay.co.za or www.powertime.co.za

EFTs: Select the City as a bank-listed beneficiary. Use only your nine-digit municipal account number as reference

Retailers: Shoprite/Checkers, Pick n Pay, PEP, Woolworths, USave, Ackermans, Lewis, Top It Up and selected Spar shops

ATM: contact your bank to add the City as an ATM beneficiary

Register on e-Services

Renew vehicle licences

Submit water/electricity readings

Pay municipal accounts online (debit order payment option, only)

View current account and account history

Apply to receive accounts via email

Log service requests

To register for e-Services visit: https://eservices.capetown.gov.za/

There is a lot of uncertainty and sharing of misinformation during tumultuous times. We encourage residents to follow the City of Cape Town Facebook and Twitter/X Alerts pages for updates or verifying information. Don’t share information unless it is verified.

Please follow CTAlerts on Twitter for updates on service disruptions.

Issued by Media Office, City of Cape Town, 8 August 2023