By: Tauhierah Salie Solomon
My Citi bus and Dial-a-Ride services resumed under police guard in Hout Bay on Wednesday morning. It was among the agreements made at a meeting between stakeholders from the City of Cape Town and the Hout Bay Taxi Association the previous day, with more engagements on the cards.
Speaking to VOC on Tuesday, the City’s Mayco member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, explained that two meetings were called in response to intense protests by the taxi industry in recent weeks.
The demonstrations follow a tense environment in Nyanga and surrounds over the past few weeks, as aggrieved protesters respond to the City of Cape Town’s latest crackdown on illegal taxi operators. Friday’s protest severely disrupted traffic and saw busses and cars being set alight.
The taxi industry in the Western Cape has been plagued by long-standing issues, particularly over route disputes and permits. The city of cape Town’s newly gazette traffic By-law grants its officials enhanced power to confiscate vehicles, accompanied by a hefty price tag and criminal procedures to have them returned.
Engagements over permits
Speaking to VOC on Tuesday, Quintas explained that urgent engagements sought to avoid future hostilities, in light of protestors citing ill-treatment by officials.
“There was a very honest and frank discussion between industry leaders from within the taxi spaces- largely SANTACO, CATA, CODETA,- and their willingness to co-operate in trying to regularize the industry within that area so as to avoid this type of subsequent violence when there is routine enforcement.”
According to Quintas the operations are largely ‘safety-driven’ and not ‘permit-driven’ as suggested by some within the industry. He previously denied claims that they were racially motivated.
“Vehicles being impounded over the last few weeks are vehicles that are not roadworthy and are transporting commuters, or the driver of the vehicle either doesn’t have a basic drivers licenses let alone a public license, or the failure to display license plates or disks. Those are the majority, by far, of the impoundments that have taken place,” said Quintas.
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Transport, Ricardo Mackenzie, condemned the ‘brazen attacks’ and labelled them ‘an obvious attempt’ to hold commuters, legal taxi operators and officials to ransom.
Mackenzie, who said he was also a part of the engagements, released a strongly worded statement on Monday, demanding that perpetrators be brought to book.
“The DA believes that the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town have taken the right approach in dealing with illegal taxi operators. The Provincial Government continues to work with, encourage, train and develop professionalism in the taxi industry. However, illegal taxi operators are attempting to derail this work through sabotage. And wanton violence,” said Mackenzie.
“For years, taxi violence has been allowed to flourish due to the lack of accountability, few arrests and zero consequences for those responsible for this violence. SAPS need to step up and ensure that all those responsible for this violence are arrested and the NPA must ensure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he added, emphasizing commitment to finding sustainable solutions.
Provincial Government issued approximately 400 permits for the Amaphela taxi operators in Nyanga. While the figures identified vary, provincial officials note that majority of the permits made available were not collected.
Quintas explained that while the City does not dictate to whom licenses are issued, it does conduct travel demand surveys and planning, and would advise provincial government. He noted that, similar to renewing a drivers license, application needs to be made when taxi operating permit expires.
“The City, many years ago, prescribed to the provincial regulatory entity, to provide 400 permits for the Nyanga area for compliance application of driving vehicles for operators. Just over 200 of those were initially taken up. Of those only 17 are still valid, the rest have all expired and not been renewed. That means there are roughly 380 permits available for renewal or brand-new applicants,” Quintas insisted.
Mackenzie listed several reasons for the failure to apply. These include unroadworthy vehicles including damaged tyres, expired license disks and vehicles posing “overall risk to the safety of commuters and other road users”.
Weighing up the responsibility of motorists against that of government, Mackenzie said operators must ensure they are compliant, and government must hold motorist accountable to this.
Quintas highlighted that the City would continue to carry out routine activities in the area with SAPS as the lead agency. According to Quintas, industry leaders agreed to engage with their stakeholders to apply or new their permits, and provincial government agreed to fast-track renewals.
“There is an understanding that should there be ongoing peace for at least three days into the week (operations) will ease up considerably, and allow the space for people to apply and get themselves compliant and permitted”
Hout Bay
The compensation issue raised by the Hout Bay taxi Association stemmed from a dispute in 2009, when the My City bus Service was established in the area. According to the taxi operators, the City had liaised with a separate group of taxi operators which hijacking negotiations at the time.
The organisation, reportedly founded in Imizamo Yethu where tyres were set alight on Monday, had a fleet of around 100 taxis with about 40 owners. The operators say those who were reimbursed by the City for providing public transport along their transport route, were not those operating in the area to begin with. They further accuse the City of unduly rejecting their attempts to renew their permits.
During a flare up in 2019, five taxi drivers were shot dead and two commuters injured within the span of a week.
Then Western Cape Transport MEC Donald Grant had suspended operations in the area at the time, stating that the violence was ‘related to disputes between associations (and) driven by disputes over routes and illegal operations’- a tune similar to what we hear in 2022.
Quntas said that the association opted to take legal action against the City, noting that engagements are expected to be held for interim measures.
“The City is maintaining that all legal and compliant operators were compensated. The Hout Bay Taxi Association feels they were not considered as parts of that grouping. That is before the courts and we await the court outcome on that,” said Quintas.
“I believe firmly that there is a very similar situation to what has been established in Nyanga. I certainly hope that permits that have expired will be taken up again. That would certainly allow those Amaphela to be able to get back into the system in a legal manner. It does require their involvement in the process by applying and following that up.”
Other services
Golden Arrow Bus services is meanwhile hopeful to resume operations in the Nyanga area soon. The most recent attack on four busses, racked up a bill of over R10 million. Spokesperson Bronwyn Dyke Beyer said GABS is working closely with officials to avoid any harm to drivers and commuters.
“We are hoping to move back into the Nyanga area as soon as possible, but its been very difficult because of the ongoing law enforcement operations targeting the informal taxi’s within the area. And, obviously, whenever that happens for some reason Golden Arrow gets targeted,” said Dyke-Beyer.
She added that a full time social worker is employed by GABS and available to drivers 24/7, should they need psycho social support.
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