South African women fear commuting to and from work amid taxi gang wars
- Thousands of women have been impacted by a recent spate of violence between different taxi associations
- Activists have called for more police presence and emergency accommodation for those stranded by the clashes
South African language tutor Debbie Odumuko has already survived a shoot-out in a grocery store since fighting between rival taxi drivers resurfaced in Cape Town in early July.
But walking alone at night alongside the highway to get home now that most taxis have stopped running has left her equally terrified of being assaulted.
Getting to and from work has become risky for Odumuko, 49, but the thought of staying home and not being able to feed her four children kept her up at night as she lay in bed listening to gunshots fired between taxi gangs.
“I feel overwhelmed and angry … I fear for my safety, but I have to put bread on the table,” she said.
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Odumuko is one of thousands whose lives have been impacted by a recent spate of violence in South Africa’s Western Cape province, fuelled by repeated territorial disputes between different taxi associations.