By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) announced the strike action in Ekurhuleni tomorrow over the impounding of their taxis.
SANTACO has clarified that the strike will only take place in Ekurhuleni only, as it is the only area affected by impounding of taxis, not across the province as it was reported.
Fullview understands 17 taxis were impounded for various offences including for illegal operations and vehicle roadworthiness.
Gauteng roads and transport department MEC Kedibone Tlabela-Diale said the enforcement operations were aimed at restoring law and order.
“We are not going to allow illegal operations. Anyone who does not possess a valid operating licence, as per the National Land Transport Act, will not be allowed to operate on Gauteng’s roads, Tlabela-Diale said.
She said police were tasked with profiling and taking photos of the vehicles to demonstrate why they are being taken off the road.
Earlier today commuters were left stranded after the disruption of local taxis in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni. The taxi operators were complaining that fines of up to R5 000 per vehicle are crippling.
Santaco Ekurhuleni regional secretary Zweli Mnisi said the decision to suspend services was not taken lightly but was necessary to protect operators from what it described as “selective and unfair law enforcement”.
Mnisi said, taxi operators were forced to pay fines of up to R5,000 per vehicle to retrieve their impounded taxis, costs they describe as unsustainable and crippling to their businesses.
Meanwhile the Western Cape Government is stepping up its efforts to combat escalating taxi-related violence by filing for an urgent interdict against two influential taxi associations, the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta).
This decision comes in the wake of stalled negotiations aimed at curbing ongoing violence and intimidation that have plagued the province’s transportation sector.
On Wednesday, provincial officials announced that an urgent court order would be pursued to intervene in the rapidly deteriorating situation. The goal of the legal action is to ensure that law-abiding operators can continue providing vital transportation services to commuters, unaffected by the ongoing unrest.
The Provincial Taxi Registrar is expected to issue a Section 7A(20) enquiry notice to both CATA and Codeta. This notice mandates that the associations justify their failure to adhere to the industry’s Code of Conduct.
If the associations cannot provide satisfactory explanations, the registrar may impose severe sanctions, including the potential suspension of operating licences.
In addition to these measures, a Section 91 notice will also be issued, pinpointing specific route infringements by the associations. This formal warning highlights the serious consequences of ongoing violations, including the possibility of temporarily or permanently shutting down affected routes and ranks.
The taxi industry is the biggest public transporter of people in South Africa and completes an estimation of approximately 15 million per day across the country.