As I mentioned yesterday, the Cape Town taxi strike has been – and continues to be – hugely disruptive to the whole city. At the supermarket this morning, staff numbers were low, service was even slower than usual, and there were several (or more) empty shelves.
These are genuine effects of the taxi strike, and that’s annoying for all concerned: for the people who want to work, for the people who want to shop. But for every incident of someone being honestly inconvenienced by the recent (ongoing) events, there’s another of someone using them to excuse something otherwise indefensible.
“I think I might need an extension on my maths homework because of the taxi strike.”
“The maths homework I set last week, before the strike began?”
“Yes, but there was always the danger that it might begin, and that has actually proved to be the case.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that spreadsheet for you this week. The taxi strike, you know?”
“But don’t you work from home? In London?”
“Yes, it’s had surprisingly wide-ranging effects.”
“We’re going to sell Sander Berge.”
“What? Our rangy, Rolls-Royce Norwegian midfielder? But why on earth would you want to do that?”
“Wish we didn’t have to, but it’s collateral damage from the Cape Town taxi strike. Very unfortunate.”
The taxi strike is due to end on Thursday morning, when the guys who have been shooting guns at people, stoning cars and burning out buses choose to risk the lives of civilians in a different way: by driving minibus taxis again.
But the effects and pseudo-effects will run on for a good while yet.