Scores of township dwellers and rural residents from villages in and around Mthatha were forced to trek more than 25km on foot to get to work on Wednesday due to the provincial taxi strike.
Others reportedly started their long journey to their workplaces as early as 3am.
Zolani Somdyaka, 33, who stays in Ross Mission and his wife Thulethu Somdyaka were among those who had to travel the 25km journey to Nelson Mandela Hospital where they both work as cleaners.
"It has been a very tiring journey especially that we still have to work for the whole eight hours," they told the Daily Dispatch.
"We are not even sure if they [taxis] will be available when we knock off."
Although there were no incidents of violence reported in Mthatha, some schools remained closed as pupils either did not show or were told not to report for schooling.
The Dispatch visited Mzimvubu JSS in Ngangelizwe and Atwell Madala near Northcrest where there were no pupils who rocked up for school.
But for others like St John's College High School and Ngangelizwe SSS, it was business as usual. Teachers at St John's however confirmed that not all pupils had managed to come to school on Wednesday due to the fact that they stayed outside town and relied on public transportation to get to school.
Interestingly, despite it being a taxi strike, several taxis were also seen ferrying passengers to and from the town on Wednesday.
In Port St Johns, traffic was backed up in Mpantu village on the R61 between Mthatha and Port St Johns.
Police spokesperson Captain Nozuko Handile however said although no violence had been reported, police had been deployed to keep an eye on things.
Scores of people trek long distance to work
Scores of township dwellers and rural residents from villages in and around Mthatha were forced to trek more than 25km on foot to get to work on Wednesday due to the provincial taxi strike.
Others reportedly started their long journey to their workplaces as early as 3am.
Zolani Somdyaka, 33, who stays in Ross Mission and his wife Thulethu Somdyaka were among those who had to travel the 25km journey to Nelson Mandela Hospital where they both work as cleaners.
"It has been a very tiring journey especially that we still have to work for the whole eight hours," they told the Daily Dispatch.
"We are not even sure if they [taxis] will be available when we knock off."
Although there were no incidents of violence reported in Mthatha, some schools remained closed as pupils either did not show or were told not to report for schooling.
The Dispatch visited Mzimvubu JSS in Ngangelizwe and Atwell Madala near Northcrest where there were no pupils who rocked up for school.
But for others like St John's College High School and Ngangelizwe SSS, it was business as usual. Teachers at St John's however confirmed that not all pupils had managed to come to school on Wednesday due to the fact that they stayed outside town and relied on public transportation to get to school.
Interestingly, despite it being a taxi strike, several taxis were also seen ferrying passengers to and from the town on Wednesday.
In Port St Johns, traffic was backed up in Mpantu village on the R61 between Mthatha and Port St Johns.
Police spokesperson Captain Nozuko Handile however said although no violence had been reported, police had been deployed to keep an eye on things.
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