Cape Town —
Uber, Bolt, Didi Drivers on Strike In Gauteng Province
About 1,500 E-hailing services drivers embarked on a three-day strike from Tuesday March 22. They want the government to better-regulate the industry and improve conditions of employment.
Melithemba Mnguni who is the convenor of Unity in Diversity – a group that represents the drivers, E-haling drivers’ jobs and lives are often at risk and they are not making any profit. He added that “Uber deducts 25% to 30% commission from drivers, leaving us with nothing.”
“Countries around the world have done well to regulate the e-hailing industry, but South Africa has not done that. This system allows companies to exploit and underpay the drivers,” Mnguni said.
The strike may spread to other provinces.
Opposition Parties Blame Home Affairs for Rise in Xenophobia
The Democratic Alliance has laid the blame for the rise in Xenophobia squarely at the door of Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s home affairs department. The situation has been worsened with the launch of Operation Dudula, whose actions of targeting foreign nationals who run small businesses and demanding they leave the country. The group’s actions has been condemned by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said that vigilantism will not be tolerated. Home Affairs has been accused of, among others, ineffectively managing porous borders and allowing undocumented people to enter the country illegally.
Interest Rate Hike on Cards
Analysts are saying that the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee may announce another interest rate hike tomorrow, which will see a rise in, among others, home loan and car repayments. This is not good news for cash-strapped South Africans who have been battered by the rising cost of living brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is also having an impact, with a shocking rise in fuel prices and food over the past few weeks.
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New Covid-19 Regulations Will Surely Bring Smiles to Sports, Music Lovers!
With hospital admissions significantly decreased over the part few months, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced some changes to Alert Level 1 yesterday. With the National State of Disaster in place until April 15, 2022 – despite opposition from various quarters – one of the most significant changes in the new regulations concerns gatherings. Previously, there was a limit of 1,000 people who could attend indoor events and 2,000 people who could attend outdoor events. This is good news for sports – particularly cricket and soccer – and music festival lovers. Under the new regulations, indoor and outdoor gatherings can reach 50% of a venue’s capacity, provided that attendees show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72-hours prior of attending the event.
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