Cape Town – The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has distanced itself from a message circulating on social media warning of a taxi strike in the Western Cape today.
Santaco met Transport MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela yesterday to address their grievances, acting Western Cape chairperson Mzoxolo Didela said.
The talks will be continuing for the rest of the week, Didela said, and all Santaco taxi drivers and operators have been informed that the talks should be allowed to run its course and that the strike/blockade be put on hold.
"We have made progress in the talks and will continue meeting until a solution is found," said Didela.
According to a notice on social media, Tuesday's taxi strike, which is supposed to be held from 10am until 2pm, will begin in Khayelitsha and end in the CBD.
On Friday afternoon, minibus taxis caused traffic havoc in the CBD and on the N2 and M5, blocking traffic. More than 130 taxis were impounded last week.
Didela said while the taxi operators are complaining about the many and heavy traffic fines they are receiving, he does not condone the actions of the taxi drivers.
Andile Soyama, of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association, told the Cape Times: "No strike will be taking place while the negotiations with the provincial department of transport are continuing for the rest of the week."
Soyama said the taxi industry is aggrieved by the treatment they are receiving from the City of Cape Town – primarily for not being treated as an equal partner with MyCiTi, Metrorail and Golden Arrow.
"We are struggling to survive without a subsidy and we don't know why we are not being treated as an equal partner in the transport industry."