A wave of protest action brought the small Sundays River Valley town of Nqweba (formerly Kirkwood) to a standstill on Wednesday, as taxi operators blocked all major routes in and out, effectively shutting down businesses, schools and vital services.
About 100 minibus taxis barricaded four key entry and exit points from as early as 9am, leaving motorists stranded and cutting off access between the Moses Mabhida township and the central business district.
The protest, driven by long-standing frustrations over the condition of a critical road linking the two areas, quickly escalated into a full-scale disruption that paralysed daily life.
By late Wednesday afternoon, the roads were finally reopened.
They should remain open on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said officers were deployed across the area on Wednesday to monitor the situation and divert traffic for much of the day.
“Several minibus taxis were used to block main access routes to the area, which disrupted commuters and other road users,” she said.
But for many, there was no way around the shutdown.
Businesses across the town were forced to close their doors, with some reporting losses running into thousands of rand.
A restaurant owner described the situation as a total shutdown of the town, while a grocery store owner said taxi operators had allegedly instructed all shops to remain closed for the day.
“We ended up potentially losing thousands of rand in one day,” the restaurant owner, who did not want to be named, said.
“We understand the taxi operators are frustrated but we, as business owners, also have to use the same roads.”
After addressing the aggrieved taxi operators, Sundays River Valley Local Municipality mayor Solethu Lucas said the protest action had effectively halted the local economy for a day.
“Children could not go to school and it was difficult for ambulances to enter or leave Nqweba.”
The mayor said the citrus industry season, vital to the area, had started yet no-one was able to go to work on Wednesday, depriving some of their daily wages.
The mayor further apologised to residents, business owners and tourists for the situation.
Among those hardest hit were informal traders who had travelled from Nelson Mandela Bay to the small Eastern Cape town on the outskirts of the city for business.
KwaNobuhle vendor Mpumelelo Basi, 65, was forced to watch helplessly as the fresh stock he had purchased spoiled in the heat while he was stuck in the snaking traffic for hours.
With temperatures reaching 33°C, he said meat worth R2,100, bought with grant money, was left to rot in his van.
“We have been stuck here since 8.30am … I have to return [to Nelson Mandela Bay] with the meat. But this was all just a waste of time and money,” he said.
“If I had known about this protest a day prior, I would not have woken up so early to come here.”
He said he used profits of his sales to transport his children to school.
Community member David Konzani, 56, said the protest had negatively affected the elderly and sickly in the area who needed to collect their medication.
The town’s tourism sector also felt the blow.
At Kronenhoff Guest House and Restaurant, manager Christi Delport said they had not received a single customer throughout the day and were forced to close the restaurant section, keeping only their accommodation open to reassure anxious guests.
“We have out-of-town tourists who are quite scared and shocked … I have never experienced a protest of this size,” she said.
Even the region’s economic backbone, the citrus industry, was disrupted.
Sundays River Citrus Company chief executive Hannes de Waal said while the early timing in the season limited the overall damage, the shutdown still resulted in lost packing time and missed export opportunities.
The protest stemmed from ongoing grievances over the deteriorating condition of the road connecting Nqweba’s CBD to Moses Mabhida township.
Taxi operators claimed the route had been in a poor condition for years, causing frequent vehicle damage and accidents.
They accused authorities of failing to follow through on maintenance commitments.
Mbukelo Mazungula, of the Uitenhage and District Taxi Association in Nqweba, who is also a resident of Moses Mabhida, said they had protested because of the condition of the roads which had been in a poor condition for a long time.
“The roads have been responsible for a number of accidents, so we are here to get the necessary attention for them to be fixed.
“If you buy a Quantum, in six months’ time, you start hearing strange noises coming from the vehicle.
“These [bumps and potholes] in the roads damage our wheel alignments, among other things.
“The municipality [allegedly] says it does not have the money nor the resources to fix that road because it falls under the provincial department of transport.”
But, he said, despite several meetings with the provincial transport department, officials had not kept their promises to maintain the roads.
He apologised to the community and business operators for the inconvenience caused.
Mazungula said they were content with the commitment they received later in the day to begin engagements with relevant stakeholders about the situation next week.
Eastern Cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the road required more than routine maintenance and was being considered for extensive rehabilitation.
However, the project remained in the planning phase, with funding, scope and implementation responsibilities still under discussion with the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral).
Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha also appealed to taxi operators for patience while engagements around their grievances continued.
A multi-stakeholder committee involving the department, municipality, Sanral and taxi leadership, is expected to meet next week in an effort to resolve the impasse.
By late Wednesday afternoon, roads were gradually reopened and traffic began to flow again.
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