South Africans are reported to be happy to be back in their jobs as they were stressed. A lot of people were not sure whether they would return to their jobs as they were not sure when the coronavirus lockdown would end. As now they are back at work on level three in the country, they are very happy and sure that they would be able to provide for their families.
Thousands of people in other sectors lost their jobs during lockdown and more are still going to lose theirs as some sectors are still not allowed to operate fully. Thousands of people also lost a lot of properties as banks are repossessing their houses and cars. A number of businesses are also reported bankrupt due to lockdown as some are taking the government to court as it was ruled by the court of law that the lockdown was not lawful.
Our crew interviewed a few people at the Bellvile Taxi Rank in Caoe Town, Western Cape Province where everyday since the first of June there are queues of people waiting for taxis to take them to work. A lot of people are still concerned about measures that are in place to help the government fight the spread of the coronavirus as most taxis in Cape Town are seen full of passengers which means they are not following the regulations set by government to atleast have 7 or 8 people in one taxi.
“A lot of taxi drivers are forcing us to use taxis that are full each and everyday and if you ask them why they are doing it they tell you to shut up or you will not ride to work and there are rumours that the taxi fares are going to increase by more about 50 percent which means we will have to pay more on transport than ever before”. Said Tevin Smith, a taxi user at Belville Taxi Rank.
Another taxi user Mr. Sedwyn indicated to our crew that the taxis drivers are following regulations only inside the taxi ranks as there is media and people with cameras. When they are out of the rank they start hooting for people to ride their taxis as far as 300 metres from the rank and all the taxis are always full when they reach the destination.
While a lot of people are happy to be back at work, most are stressed as they lost their jobs during level five and four of lockdown in South Africa. Those who lost their jobs are now looking for other jobs and they are saying it is difficult as they have to surrender everything they had before the pandemic. Some lost everything while others are still on the window period with their creditors where they have to find a job as soon as possible to be able to pay their debts.
