The Taxi Task Team (MBTTT) Imbizo kicks off Monday as the taxi industry says the City is “hell-bent” on stamping their authority after officials knocked at the doors of taxi drivers after hours with alleged warrants of arrests for various traffic and road offences.
According to safety and security mayco member JP Smith, 19 suspects were arrested on Thursday night on the City’s top 100 offenders list; one had 33 outstanding fines, another had 55 and the top offender with 77 outstanding fines.
He said this was one of their biggest operations and these will become a standard feature moving forward to ensure that people were compelled to face consequences.
“In Cape Town we say the rule of law must be upheld and applied equally. If you committed an offence, you must be held accountable. Appear before the Magistrate, explain your situation, then take it from there. But don't ignore accountability,” said Smith.
He said those who have been ignoring their traffic fines will have nowhere to hide as they have now begun tracing operations and are enforcing Warrants of Arrest.
“From January until June this year, we have already arrested around 2000 offenders who have simply ignored their outstanding traffic fines. We will continue with these operations on a monthly basis, tracking down each and every outstanding Warrant of Arrest,” said Smith.
Santaco deputy chairperson Gershon Geyer said they were aware of the operation.
“We don’t know what JP Smith’s obsession is with the taxi industry.
His actions show clearly he has a big hatred for black-owned businesses.
It is rather unfortunate that the taxi industry is being used for political ambitions. As some people have pointed out that this could be a kickstart of the DA election campaign.”
Santaco’s chairperson Mandla Hermanus said it seemed like the City just didn’t want taxis to operate.
“It seems like this provincial government is hell-bent that since the taxi industry embarked on a strike it wants to show who is the boss. This means the relationship between the taxi industry and the City will continue to be toxic. The recent strike was not the first and it now appears it won’t be the last, we are in a war for our existence. We are now involved in what seems to be political fights and scores,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police’s Western Cape Taxi Task Unit’s detectives are also cracking down on taxi-related murders with provincial police spokesperson Novela Potelwa stating that a wanted suspect allegedly linked to a triple murder in Khayelitsha in December 2022 was arrested on Thursday in Ocean View.
“He is also charged for another murder that occurred in Masiphumelele in June 2023 as well as a house robbery in the same area of Ocean View,” she said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
On the same day, another alleged hitman was shot and killed in Wolseley after a shootout with police. The suspect was sought in connection with a string of murders in Ceres, Wolseley and Citrusdal.
In one incident, the deceased was alleged to have shot and killed a father and his child, earlier this month.
“Another wanted taxi hitman is scheduled to be brought to the Western Cape to face murder charges after he was arrested in Umhlali SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal for possession of an unlicensed firearm.
He has since appeared in court in KwaZulu-Natal,” she said.
Cape Times