The City of Cape Town has noted the provincial stay-away initiated by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) for Wednesday, 22 February 2023, and has issued a statement declaring that it will not tolerate violent or intimidatory behaviour on that day.
It also said that all the necessary precautions would be taken to ensure the safety of commuters and other operators, including the MyCiTi bus service, as far as possible.
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The City said that previous experiences have shown that stay-away actions are frequently marked by violence, destruction of public property, attacks on other public transportation services and intimidation.
It disproved some of Santaco’s reasons for the stay-away and said that its claims that the City is “targeting” minibus-taxi drivers by fining them for transgressions and impounding their minibuses is a dishonest attempt to set up a system where members can do whatever they want.
“Operators who are operating legally, and comply with the rules of the road do not have to fear fines or impoundments, but those who are violating the law will be caught and fined,” the City asserted.
The City’s Law Enforcement conducted a minibus-taxi operation in Hout Bay in the last week of January 2023. Over a period of five days alone, up to 881 fines totalling R753,610 were issued. This is a staggering number of transgressions, among which:
- 10 arrests for outstanding warrants
- 85 warrants worth R191 210 were executed.
- 40 minibuses were impounded, and drivers were fined for operating without an operating licence or contravening the conditions of the operating license.
- Seven fines were issued for using a cell phone while driving.
- 20 fines for overloading
- 14 fines for driving without a licence plate
- 54 fines were issued for defective tires.
- 65 fines were issued for operating an unlicensed motor vehicle.
- 94 fines were issued for operating without a valid driver’s license.
- 173 fines were issued for driving without a seatbelt.
- 319 fines were issued for other traffic-related offences.
The City declared its commitment to developing a fully integrated public transportation system in Cape Town, where commuters can choose from a wide range of options, including passenger rail, minibus taxis, metered taxis, the Golden Arrow Bus Service, and the MyCiTi bus service.
The City concluded its statement by saying that Santaco has no right to prevent others from entering the public transportation sector and urged the council to raise their concerns in the appropriate forums.
Also read:
Taxi stay-away: CoCT defends itself against Santaco’s claims
Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook