THE Cape Town taxi strike spared no one, even those who provide services to carry kak out from ekasi feared for their lives.
Residents suffered the consequences as they had to live with kak in front of them.
SST section residents in Khayelitsha said they are relieved that the strike has come to an end and their pota pota’s (portable toilets) have finally been emptied.
Under normal circumstances, the toilets are emptied four times a week.
“Others kept them in their homes while they were already full, but others decided to offload them at night at the nearby bushes so that they can relieve themselves. Since the beginning of the protest, the pota pota’s were not collected. It was difficult for us residents to keep them in their homes while they were full,” said resident Mnyamezeli Msindwana (51).
To conceal the stench from the decomposing waste inside the portable toilets, residents tied the pota potas with plastics.
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Others said they ended up relieving themselves inside plastics and throwing the kak away.
“Leaving the pota pota outside was not a good idea because it could be stolen. Some will empty it and steal it, so it was better off to keep it closed in the house,” said another resident Sinazo Mbukuqu.
The residents said rubbish was also not collected as their kasi was one of the hotspots of the violence that was associated with the taxi strike.
City of Cape Town said they had several challenges to operate due to the violence.
In a statement, the city said some of its employees had difficulties with reporting for duty, and contractors had difficulties to working in various areas which created backlogs in water and sanitation services.
The City said one of its vehicles was petrol bombed in Khayelitsha on 07 August at night.
