Members of the public are urged against the unchecked dissemination of voice notes and messages related to the ongoing taxi strike and associated violence.
Rumours of a ‘total shutdown’ have been circulating after a voice note claiming that no government institutions, except essential services, will be allowed to operate on Friday was widely shared on various social media platforms.
Also read: Separating fake news from the facts amid the ongoing taxi strike
While it is true that the strike was extended on Wednesday night, Santaco WC has confirmed that ‘all rumours, suggestions, voice notes and posts referring to a proposed national shutdown’ are not in any way affiliated with the organisation.
The taxi body told News24 it didn’t want its members to be ‘confused or misled’.
‘We urge all our members not to be confused or misled by opportunistic elements that are trying to hijack our legitimate cause to further their own selfish interests,’ said Santaco WC General Secretary Ryno Saaiers.
The creator of the misleading voice note, Mncedi Mbengo, was arrested in the Eastern Cape on Friday, 4 August, for failing to abide by a court order that prohibited him from inciting unlawful gatherings, News24 reports.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, the voice note was allegedly sparked by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s District Development Model Imbizo in Tsomo on Friday and was not intended to be used in the context of Cape Town’s taxi strike.
Also read:
Update: Santaco to deliberate CoCT’s proposal as meeting adjourns
Picture: Markus Winkler / Pexels