The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has filed an application with the Western Cape High Court, seeking an interdict against the City of Cape Town relating to the impoundment of taxis days after an agreement was reached between the two parties.
Over the course of Friday and Saturday, eight taxis were seized, followed by an additional six. One minibus was also apprehended but later released due to a technicality within the National Land Transport Act that did not warrant impoundment.
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According to News24, Santaco’s legal documents contend that the 14 seized taxis were subjected to unwarranted actions and are now requesting the release of these vehicles. The organisation emphasised the contribution of the minibus taxi industry to the country’s economy.
‘The minibus taxi industry plays an important role in the economy of the country. Besides being the preferred transport mode for most commuters, it’s also a significant contributor to tax revenue and employment,’ Santaco submitted in the papers.
After a tense standoff with the metro over impoundments, Santaco is requesting an interim order directing the City and Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie to follow the terms of the agreement they had signed last week.
‘The urgency and necessity for the present application and the relief we seek are exacerbated by information that has emerged over the past few days. It appears that law enforcement, under the direction of the City and MEC, not only targets the minibus taxi industry but indeed has quotas to be met in respect of the number of taxis that should be impounded,’ the council said.
Santaco claimed that law enforcement, under the City and MEC’s direction, is singling out the minibus taxi industry and also allegedly operating with quotas for the number of impounded taxis. Santaco asserted that these actions violate law enforcement’s code of conduct and represent arbitrary law enforcement.
It said:
‘It was an abuse of power and overreach that caused the strike.’
Earlier this month, Santaco staged an eight-day strike to protest the impoundment of numerous vehicles, citing a variety of infractions, including issues such as failing to display proper registration number plates.
Gershon Geyer, Santaco’s Deputy Chairperson in the Western Cape, informed News24 that the council’s legal team had lodged the necessary documents on Wednesday. The case was scheduled to be heard in the High Court at 10am on Thursday.
JP Smith, the City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, addressed concerns about the potential misrepresentation of the agreement by Santaco’s leadership.
Alderman Smith stressed that accurate reporting and communication are vital to preventing confrontations between officers and taxi owners or drivers on the streets.
‘We also cannot allow leadership in Santaco to misrepresent the facts of the agreement to taxi owners or drivers (e.g., by telling them that no vehicles may be impounded, as was done during this past weekend), as this creates the conditions for confrontation on the streets when officers implement the exact agreement Santaco accepted last week.’
The City maintains that the 14 impounded taxis were seized for violations of the National Land Transport Act.
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook
