The City of Cape Town has been urged to promptly release the taxis seized due to the city’s revised traffic ordinances without any restrictions, according to South Africa’s Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga. This relief does not apply to those who are detained in accordance with national laws.
On Tuesday in Midrand, Chikunga spoke to the media about the government’s involvement in the violent taxi protest Santaco had organised in the Western Cape.
She said that the city had established requirements for operating permits, and that the taxi sector had voiced concerns about these ordinances.
“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.”
Chikunga said the department remained committed to speedily finding an amicable solution that would enable the taxi industry to call off the protest.
“Our efforts to regulate the taxi industry must be underpinned by mutual respect of the law and a genuine effort to uplift this industry and ensure that it assumes its place in the broader public transport industry, characterised by respect for the law and the rights of others,” she said.
Commenting on the scenes of lawlessness since the strike started, Chikunga said she had asked the taxi industry to denounce any form of violence or intimidation by its members.
“We condemn the violence that has characterised this strike in the strongest possible terms. It can never be acceptable for those who are aggrieved by the actions of the city to blockade roads and undermine the rights of ordinary citizens to travel or access schools, places of work and economic activity.”
