The GOOD party has called on the Speaker of the City of Cape Town Council to call a council meeting for an urgent debate on the recent violent taxi strike which held the province captive over the past week.
The party deemed the taxi stayaway ‘a dark time for the city’ that once left the poor and working-class suffering, adding that it cannot be business as usual after lives were lost, food security threatened, properties damaged and livelihoods negatively impacted.
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‘We do not condone the violent action that played out on the streets of the city but we need answers to what led us to this point,’ spokesperson Jonathon Cupido said in a statement.
The party welcomed the agreement reached by Santaco, the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town, but expressed that there were contradictions in the responses from both the City and Santaco.
‘The contradictions need an explanation. What is not clear from the mayor’s statement is if the previous impoundments were in fact unlawful,’ said Cupido.
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The party questioned if City of Cape Town’s MMC for Safety and Security, JP Smith, misinterpreted the law and overstepped his jurisdiction, adding that this is something JP Smith is ‘repeatedly accused’ of doing.
‘It was clear that the taxi operators felt victimised by the leadership of the City and JP Smith. They believe their operations were being unfairly targeted by vindictive policing operations,’ said Cupido.
‘We join the City in celebrating the end of the violent stayaway but unfortunately, we cannot just forgive and forget. Lives were lost and someone needs to be held accountable.’
Cupido added that the purpose of the urgent debate is to ‘unpack the lawfulness of the impoundments executed since 1 July 2023’ and the City’s leadership must provide details on whether vehicles were impounded under the National Land Transport Act or under the City’s law by-laws.
‘As GOOD, we are calling for the DA-led city to hold their DA colleagues accountable so that history does not repeat itself.’
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Picture:JP Smith / Facebook