Taxi Strike: MMC JP Smith contradicts himself
Which laws are in use to impound taxis in the City of Cape Town? Do City By-laws trump national traffic laws in the Mother City?
City of Cape Town MMC JP Smith, has been caught out contradicting himself as he has repeatedly held that the taxi’s impounded by the City of Cape Town were confiscated in line with the National Land Transport Act and not City by-laws.
WHICH LAWS ARE USED TO IMPOUND TAXI’S
ALSO READ: Taxi Strike: More than 30 clinics CLOSE
However in a statement on his Facebook page on the 22 July and 23 July, he announced that the City has started impounding vehicles with the new traffic by-laws, and as a response to an aggrieved citizen over the impoundment of private vehicles revealed that the City impounds 1000 taxis monthly.
ALSO READ: Taxi Strike: EFF call for resignation of JP Smith [VIDEO]
“I received a message from someone who was under the impression that the City is willing to impound private motor vehicles but would be unwilling and too intimidated to impound public transport vehicles especially the minibus taxis as this would result in violence.”
“I’ve explained to them that for the last year or more the city has been in pounding between 900 and 1200 taxis a month”, Smith stated.
SMITH STANDS HIS GROUND
ALSO READ: Taxi strike called off with immediate effect
But, in defense to continued attacks, from the South African National Taxi Council(SANTACO), Department of Transport and the Police Minister, Smith has held his ground and continued to reiterate that ‘No taxi has ever been impounded because of a by-law. Never Ever.’
According to the MMC, the taxi’s have been impounded under the following:
The NATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC ACT of 1996,
The NATIONAL LAND TRANSPORTATION ACT of 2005,
And the NATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC ACT of 2000.