The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has called off the stay away by minibus taxi drivers, which should be relief for commuters that often make use of taxis, but what happens now?
This is what we can expect for the next few days and weeks.
Lists of major and minor offences to be drawn up
Within 14 days, the Taxi Task Team will define a list of additional major offences in terms of which vehicles will continue to be impounded in future.
The focus in the Task Team will be to ensure that all traffic offences that impact on commuter safety remain as major offences.
As the task team focuses on major offences, the a list of minor offences will also be drawn up. These offences do not have commuter safety implications and therefore will not be impoundable.
Impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act
It is worth noting that impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act (NLTA) will continue for vehicles for the following reasons: driving without an operating license, driving on the incorrect route, driving without a driver’s license, or driving a car that is not roadworthy.
Improvements to avoid future carnage
Even though the strike is officially over, the Joint Operations Command Centre will continue to function and all services will continue with planned deployment across the city.
There have been two improvements for the future in light of this strike.
1) Santaco has agreed that it will never again call a strike during the middle of a working day. They vowed to give at least 36 hours’ notice ahead of planned strike action.
2) Before calling strike action, the Task Team will have a dispute escalation and resolution clause, to escalate disputes directly to the Premier and Mayor before a strike action will be considered.
While there is a collective sense of relief, South Africans are bemoaning the loss of life and services in the past week.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said Santaco accepted the same proposal that the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government originally put on the table last Friday.
“The tragic implication is that all of the violence, the deplorable loss of life, and the damage to property and to our local economy – was for naught. Last Friday, everything agreed to today was on the table, when the strike was less than 24 hours old, and could have been stopped then.”
Earlier this morning, there were road closures due to protesting on Broadlands Road between N2 and Wlindlela and two vehicles were set alight.
The reason for the protest is unknown, said Iegshaan Dyson of Cape Town Traffic Service
By 7.03am on Friday, the roadway was re-opened.
IOL