Both the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) say they want violence towards their members and commuters in the Western Cape to stop. But both remain intransigent in finding a lasting solution as the government plays mediator.
Recent talks between Codeta, Cata and the local and national government have been very tense, the former’s spokesperson Lesley Siphukela told the Mail & Guardian.
“We found that [neither party] wants to compromise. A lot of proposals [were made], neither [party] agrees with [them]. We did reach common ground in terms of how the violence must end,” Siphukela said.
“The discussions we have had have not yielded any positive results, unfortunately,”
Cata’s Mandla Hermanus added.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has joined the talks following a series of discussions between Cata, Codeta and Western Cape head of transport Daylin Mitchell. Another meeting was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Similar talks were held in 2020.
The decade-old rivalry between Cata and Codeta, mainly over routes, has been deadly, with 43 people killed over a period of six months in 2020. More than 20 people have been gunned down this July, alone.
“I think there are more challenges,” Siphukela said of the recent violence linked to the Paarl-Bellville route.
“In Paarl, both associations operate with the same authority, while one is recruiting more than the other in terms of operators. I think associations don’t see eye to eye in terms of operation.”
Finding a solution
The provincial government is acting as arbitrator between Cata and Codeta to resolve the conflict that has also disrupted public transport, in addition to claiming lives.
If the violence does not stop, Mitchell “will not hesitate to follow the necessary processes to close ranks and routes in terms of Section 91 of the National Land Transport Act”, warned Jandré Bakker, head of communication at the department of transport and public works in the Western Cape.
“Both [provincial] minister Mitchell, as well as Minister Mbalula called on taxi industry leaders to place commuter safety above their own narrow interests based on greed and control. Minister Mitchell made it clear that government cannot be expected to compromise on the rule of law and will not allow a criminal element in the industry to hold legal operators and the citizens of the province hostage,” Bakker said.
Codeta is convinced that implementing Section 91 — closing off all routes and minibus taxi ranks — is not the solution, said Siphukela, adding that the association had lost five members and five commuters in one week due to the deadly dispute.
“Both parties, Cata and Codeta, do not want the ranks to be closed. It will also affect the smaller organisations as well and those who are not involved in this fight, as we have already seen,” said Siphukela.
On Monday a Golden Arrow bus driver was shot and wounded in the crossfire, causing the bus service to limit its services across the metro. A day later, the chair of the Saxonworld Taxi Association in Atlantis, Joseph Nkela, was also shot and injured while leaving his house. The motive for the second incident is not clear. Golden Arrow said the shooting of its driver could be linked to the taxi sector turf wars.
“The closure of ranks impacts negatively on the commuters who rely on taxis for their daily commute. This is made worse by the dysfunctional rail system in the Western Cape,” Cata’s Hermanus said.
He acknowledged the government’s role as arbitrator, adding that “if the two associations cannot find each other, then government has to act decisively to curb the violence, even if that means complete closure of the affected ranks”.
On Wednesday, 21 July, the provincial department of transport confirmed that legal processes to have the Section 91 notice implemented were underway.
In addition to Section 91, the department is considering approaching the high court to empower the transport head to place associations that are part of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) under administration.
Meanwhile, the department has temporarily cut off its financial support agreement with Santaco and its Blue Dot incentive payments to Cata and Codeta.
The ongoing taxi war led to more than 120 000 commuters being stranded on Tuesday, 20 July as public transport was limited, with several taxis and buses temporarily suspending services. The City of Cape Town, in cooperation with the South African Police Service, have apprehended five suspects linked to the violence in recent days, mayoral committee member JP Smith said in a press statement on Wednesday, adding that 44 taxis were confiscated for operating illegally or in contravention of their operating permits in the last week.
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