Cape Town - Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela together with taxi bosses on Monday visited the Bellville Taxi Rank following a spate of shootings that killed a commuter.
The visit followed an “urgent” meeting between Madikizela, leaders from the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) discussing the escalating tension and violent conflict between rival taxi associations.
Madikizela said the meeting discussed measures to be taken to ensure the safety of commuters at the Bellville and other taxi ranks where Cata and Codeta were fighting for control over routes. “We made some resolutions, especially to respond to the concerns in Bellville and Paarl. One of those resolutions was to determine who has a right to operate on that particular route,” Madikizela said.
He said they also cleared confusion and made sure that people who had the right to operate on that route were the only ones allowed.
Madikizela said he also instructed his department’s Public Transport Inspectorate to co-ordinate efforts with the police and municipal traffic authorities to pro-actively identify illegally operating taxis so as to restore law and order on conflict-ridden routes and ranks. Since January, the department had recorded more than 40 murders and 20 attempted murders, with issues around operating licences and routes appearing to fuel the violence.
Santaco provincial spokesperson Gershon Geyer, said they were glad that Madikizela met them and called for more investigation on the case relating to the routes.
Cata secretary Mandla Hermanus said the meeting was fruitful.
Cape Argus