For those dependent on community feeding schemes, the situation was dire. Several NGOs feeding impoverished communities could not operate due to the violence.
The Masithembele HIV/AIDS Enrichment Centre in Delft, usually a beacon of hope for the community, reluctantly closed its doors during the week-long strike."I've had sleepless nights thinking of where the children would get food," she told News24 on Friday, adding that the centre offers vital support to people affected by HIV/AIDS.
"We do feeding, we do after-school programmes, we have a morning school, we do loss and grief programmes in the schools and substance abuse programmes," Heynes explained. She said she was upset when she received a call from the City of Cape Town to inform her that the centre had to temporarily close its doors because of the strike.Masithembele HIV/AIDS Enrichment Centre founding director Wilhelmina Heynes helps prepare a pot of food."We're feeding 150 to 200 kids per day.
This is the first time a taxi strike has led to the NGO not being able to operate, Heynes told News24. She said she hopes this will not happen again as the impact on the community is devastating.The Western Cape MEC for Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, said in a statement that the worst affected areas where feeding schemes were halted were Gugulethu, Langa, Khayelitsha and Philippi. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust.