GOOD Press Statement by Jonathan Cupido,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
2 August 2023
The GOOD party calls on the City of Cape Town to show leadership and find a lasting solution to the impasse between taxi drivers and law enforcement.
Yesterday, thousands of commuters were left stranded in Cape Town’s Central business district as taxi operators clashed with City of Cape Town traffic officials and law enforcement officers.
The dispute was sparked when several taxis were impounded for various traffic infringements.
Disgruntled taxi drivers proceeded to block the main entrance and exit of the inner-city taxi rank, preventing other drivers from entering during peak traffic hours.
Yesterday the dispute may have come to a head but the reality is this tension has been simmering since the introduction of the city’s new by-laws.
It was only a matter of time before it reached boiling point.
The new by-laws allow the city to impound vehicles rather than fining drivers for breaching any rules.
The list of offences include – not displaying registration plates, being unlicensed and overloading.
The South African National Taxi Council believes yesterday’s operation was “a continuation of what appears to be their (the city’s) mission to get rid of the operation of taxis in Cape town”.
The laws were created to ensure the city has safer roads for all users, they should never be abused to target a specific industry.
The by-laws were in discussion since 2021 and were promulgated in 2022 by the Western Cape Government.
But it is clear the taxi industry does not feel they were engaged fully prior to the implementation of the city’s by-laws.
SANTACO in the Western Cape has stopped participating in the province’s Minibus Taxi Task Team, due to the “increase and continuous impoundments of vehicles” and the “lack of progress on issues tabled”.
Unfortunately, the April – June 2023 quarterly court role report shows that traffic officials often make errors when enforcing some of the road rules.
A total of 18,815 cases were struck off the role.
Reasons included Officer Error (1,450), Accused Identity Incomplete (8,761), Incorrect Jurisdiction (1,577).
Now the city is circumventing the courts and impounding vehicles.
Only time will tell how the taxi body decides to respond to what SANTACO calls “racist discrimination towards our operations”.
But what is clear is that as the city and the taxi industry continue to battle it out, it is the commuters that will bear the brunt of this dispute.
As the GOOD party, we agree that the city needs rules for the safe transportation of all citizens but the city needs to serve all sectors of the transport industry, not just those who drive luxury vehicles.
Media Enquiries:
Jonathan Cupido, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
Cell: 084 865 8122
Email: jonathanc@forgood.org.za
Samantha Jackson, GOOD Acting Media Manager
Cell: 083 550 9875
Email: media@forgood.org.za