Tuesday marked Day 6 of the taxi strike in the Western Cape. Daily Maverick visited the suburb of Observatory and found that residents were grappling with rubbish piling up and businesses were concerned about a drop in income owing to disruptions and stayaways.

Petrol stations, businesses and residents in Observatory are feeling the pinch six days into the taxi strike in and around Cape Town.

The protest, which began last Thursday, has continued amid a breakdown in talks between the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and the provincial government.

Observatory, better known as Obs, is usually bustling with activity. Most of its restaurants, bars and shops are found along Lower Main Road.

In the wake of violence linked to the taxi strike, which saw two people killed, the streets of Obs were eerily quiet on Tuesday.

Daily Maverick visited a petrol station on Main Road, a key public transport route, less than six kilometres from the CBD. One of the managers said the past few days had been "a complete nightmare" as many of his staff were left stranded.

"My staff members live far away ... they were left here with no way to get home. This has put us under a lot of pressure. Some had to sleep here while we adapted to keep things moving."

Very few cars arrived to fill up while we were there.

"This strike has taken a toll on us... we're really struggling now. It...