Durban - Jubilant minibus taxi operators claimed victory on Tuesday night outside the Durban City Hall saying the eThekwini Municipality had agreed to release more than 200 taxis that had been impounded by the Metro Police.
On Wednesday morning taxis across Durban were operating normally.
The city met taxi bosses on Tuesday after an executive committee meeting was interrupted by disgruntled taxi leaders who demanded their vehicles. The taxis had been impounded since Friday for not having permits - apparently with a R2 000 release fee.
A delegation of taxi operators, eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo, and Transport MEC Willies Mchunu, were expected to meet on Wednesday to find a swift solution to the taxi imbroglio.
About 15 taxi operators were allowed to address exco on Tuesday, and Nxumalo told them the city was dismayed at what had transpired.
“We are very concerned about the recent turn of events and urge people to raise their concerns through the appropriate channels without resorting to violence,” Nxumalo said.
“We received a report that the town is on fire. Some of our cars and buses are being damaged.”
This all happened despite a successful meeting between the city and taxi industry.
“We don’t know what is happening. If you can, tell us what is happening,” Nxumalo told the taxi industry delegation.
This was after taxi drivers had rampaged through the CBD, stoning vehicles, blocking the N3 highway and other roads, and clashing with police.
Last night the SA National Taxi Council’s (Santaco) eThekwini regional chairman, Yusuf Khaliva, told about a 100 operators, after a three-hour meeting with the city, that their taxis would be released.
“It feels great to be a taxi operator,” he said to whistles of ululation. “If we were not united, we would not have been victorious in this fight.
“Everyone who has an impounded taxi – we will meet at 8.30am (on Wednesday) at the pound. We are removing the taxis – they have agreed,” he said.
However, municipal spokeswoman, Tozi Mthethwa, said the only agreement she was aware of was that the city had agreed to meet the taxi operators this morning in a bid to reach a “speedy resolution”.
Khaliva said the issue of more than 40 taxi drivers arrested for public violence would be discussed in Wednesday’s meeting, along with the issue of permits.
He said the fact that operators did not have permits was not their fault. He said it was due to issues at the Department of Transport.
City manager S’bu Sithole told exco that the taxi-men had damaged municipal buses that had been transporting passengers.
“From our side, we can only speculate that it relates to law enforcement against people without permits,” Sithole said.
KZN Department of Transport spokesman, Kwanele Ncalane, could not be reached for comment.
Daily News