By Aneeqa du Plessis

Following the instatement of the amended 2021 City of Cape Town Traffic by-law, an increase in taxi impoundments has taken place over the past few days causing an uproar within the taxi industry. Thus, SA National Taxi Council (SANTACO) met with local government to raise their concerns during an engagement earlier today, Deputy Chairperson Nceba Enge spoke to VOC News after the meeting and provided feedback.

“We are going to consult with the industry on Monday. Furthermore, we have pulled out of the task team that was formed by Western Cape Minister of Mobility Ricardo Mckenzie,” said Enge.

A task team was created by the local government last month to regulate the taxi industry.

Further to this Enge has accused the city of committing extortion.

“We see this as a way of making money for the City at our expense. Some drivers were impounded yesterday for reasons that don’t make sense. We are seriously frustrated by these new rules. It seems the government is actively trying to take our business from us. They have always fingered us as the extortionist but now the tables have turned,” claimed Enge.

However, The City of Cape Town said it is serious about making the roads safer for everyone, but the public also needs to step up. This comes as nearly 400 people were arrested on the city’s roads this past week. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says traffic officials recorded a total of 32 201 speeding offences and 26 293 fines were issued for various traffic violations.

“Stats show that enforcement is happening, and we attend to as many of the complaints as we can but our enforcement agencies have many priorities and can’t be everywhere at once. Our officers could do more if they didn’t have to police the behavior of drivers who simply disregard the law by driving drunk or speeding,” explained Smith.