City of Cape Town and SANTACO clash over taxi impoundments
The agreement to halt Cape Town’s taxi strike hangs in the balance over the latest batch of taxi impoundments by the city.
The City of Cape Town (COCT) and South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) are warring again over fresh taxi impoundments. Despite the eight-day taxi strike being called off last week, the factions appear to have different interpretations of the agreement reached.
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TAXI IMPOUNDEMENTS CONTINUE IN CAPE TOWN
By enacting new by-laws in July, the COCT continues with its zero-tolerance approach to motorists and taxis. It has reportedly impounded more than a dozen taxis since the strike ended. Alderman JP Smith the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety said SANTACO’s interpretation of the agreement was inaccurate.
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Smith said SANTACO’s belief there would be a reduction in requirements for taxi impoundments was simply not true. He said negotiations concluded that taxi impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act (NLTA) will continue. These were for vehicles without correct operating licenses, driver’s licenses, roadworthy certificates or operating on incorrect routes.
CLARITY IS NEEDED
“In order to avoid conflict between law enforcement and public-transport employees it is important we are clear about exactly what was agreed to. We agreed that a Taxi Task Team will define a list, within 14 days, of additional major offences. These offences will form the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide enforcement staff on the NLTA,” Smith concluded.
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Meanwhile, SANTACO’s Nceba Enge accused the COCT of not being genuine and only negotiating to end the strike. “On the weekend taxis were impounded and taken illegally. Our relationship with the COCT is beyond sour now and we don’t know if we will ever see eye to eye,” said Enge.
SANTACO TO APPROACH COURTS
The SANTACO spokesman said it had been in meetings so far this week with its members and they believe COCT was backtracking on the deal. Because of this it was considering not taking part in the Taxi Task Team discussions and would be approaching the courts this week to make further submissions.