WC authorities facing an uphill battle in another taxi-related violence.

By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has called those involved in the taxi violence in Cape Town “thugs” as he held a digital press conference to address the issue on Tuesday.

A conference held by Winde included provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz and Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell.

Taxi violence continues unabated in the metropole as drivers and commuters are shot at and killed.

On Tuesday, a 42-year-old man attached to a rival taxi association was shot and injured at about 4.30am at his home in Mnga Street in Witsand just outside Atlantis. The warring associations are the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta).

“These warlords and thugs in the taxi industry are holding so many of our citizens to ransom. The murders we have seen in the last while, the innocent citizens and bystanders that are affected by this thuggish behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and needs to be dealt with in the harshest terms possible.

“These thugs need to be arrested. These thugs need to be taken off our streets,” Winde said.

Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile indicating during media briefing on taxi violence that the SAPS is aware of the voice messages circulating regarding Uber drivers that will be targeted.

Western Cape authorities are facing an uphill battle regarding the ongoing taxi violence in the province with more than 70 people have already been killed in taxi-related shootings since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has been engaging representatives of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) as well as the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA).

The engagements, which started on Friday, are part of government’s ongoing efforts towards strengthening unity and cohesion in the taxi industry in general, as well as to restore peace and stability in the Western Cape.

Taxi related violence has flared up in the province in recent months, resulting in the deaths of several taxi operators, drivers and commuters.

The Minister has condemned the killings and has called for calm.

“We have not come here to recreate the wheel or duplicate the intervention of the Western Cape leadership. As national government, we have come to put politics aside for the sake of commuters and taxi industry players.

“We are here to reinforce the efforts of the province and ensure an intergovernmental, multidisciplinary and targeted approach to safety, which is the only way to restore law and order in the taxi industry,” Mbalula said.

The Minister is monitoring negotiations between the leaders of CATA and CODETA.

“This is not the first time national government has intervened in the affairs of the taxi industry in the Western Cape. We were here last year and were encouraged by signs that the industry had turned a new leaf.

“A peace pledge was signed, the mediation process was initiated and it was well underway. The leadership of CATA and CODETA even sat side by side at the National Taxi Lekgotla, which took place in August 2020.

“All these were signs that the industry was headed in the right direction. We are disappointed by the recent turn of events,” Mbalula said.

The Minister has cautioned taxi industry players to desist from violence, adding that lawlessness is unacceptable.

“While we remain concerned about the state of the taxi industry and are attentive to the grievances of operators and drivers, we are resolute: acts of criminality in the industry will not be tolerated. Those who choose to resolve industry disagreements through the barrel of a gun will not be shown leniency. They will face the full might of the law,” Mbalula said. 

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