Thousands of commuters across Cape Town are facing major travel disruptions after taxi operators suspended services amid growing safety concerns linked to shootings and violence around the Nyanga taxi rank, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The decision was taken by the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA), which confirmed that drivers would halt operations following a meeting held on Sunday evening.
CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi told News24 that the move was taken reluctantly but was necessary to protect both drivers and passengers.
‘It was not an easy decision to take, but due to safety issues – not just for operators but commuters as well – a decision was taken not to operate,’ the publication quoted Sityebi as saying.
He added that recent attacks linked to taxi disputes have become increasingly unpredictable.
‘The shootings happen randomly, and commuters are caught in the crossfire.’
While the shutdown centres on Nyanga, there has been widespread disruption across major transport hubs this morning, according to several community newsgroups, including:
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Bellville
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Nyanga
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Langa
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Durbanville
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Lwandle/Somerset West
Authorities have been urged to remain on high alert, particularly in Nyanga and Bellville, where hundreds of operating licences are linked to routes between the two areas.
The association’s suspension follows a series of violent incidents in the area – the most recent being a serious arson attack at the Nyanga taxi rank, where nine vehicles were set alight in the early hours of Friday morning, 6 March.
Nkululeko added that taxi operators are planning to march to the Nyanga police station to demand progress in unresolved shooting cases, improved security at the rank and the installation of surveillance cameras.
‘We have been pleading for cameras at the taxi rank because if there were cameras, it would have been easy to identify the perpetrators,’ News24 quoted Sityebi as saying.
The sudden disruption follows just days after the Western Cape Government secured a High Court interdict aimed at protecting commuters from intimidation and illegal taxi operations, with CATA and several other associations named in the court order, according to the Claremont Improvement District report.
The move also comes despite a court-sanctioned agreement between the SA National Taxi Council (SANTACO), the City of Cape Town and the WCG requiring taxi associations to give at least 36 hours’ notice to the municipality and the provincial government before staging any protest action – an agreement reached after the violent August 2023 taxi strike.
Sityebi told News24 that the original plan had been to continue operating during the morning peak before staging a march later in the day.
‘Our plan was that operations would not be affected. The plan was to transport commuters in the morning, then march to the police station, but other circumstances came into play, and a decision was taken,’ he added.
‘We do not like to make announcements this late because our commuters will be affected.’
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Picture: Morne de Klerk / Getty images
