Cape Town – A violent taxi strike in Cape Town escalated on Tuesday as Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga called for the release of impounded taxis under the city’s amended traffic bylaws, claiming they were inconsistent with national regulations.
Chikunga emphasised the importance of adhering to national laws and urged the city to return to negotiations to find a resolution.
“We have national laws in place that govern the infringements and penalties dealt with in the contested conditions of operating licences. The national laws are in place to ensure that fair rules are applicable to all citizens irrespective of the city or province they reside in. It can never be that a city will define itself outside the parameters of national laws and implement penalties that are out of sync with these laws.
“To this end, we call on the city to return to the negotiating table to address the areas of disagreement and demonstrate a genuine effort to find a lasting resolution to the current challenges,” the minister said.
Cape Town’s mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, countered this assertion, clarifying that all taxi impoundments were due to violations of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA), not the city’s bylaws.
He said the City was committed to upholding commuter safety and complying with national laws.
He added: “Violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call on the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) to return peacefully to the negotiation table”.
“The city’s traffic bylaw was recently amended to extend impoundments to private vehicles for a range of serious offences. All public vehicles continue to be dealt with under the NLTA as always.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
