Striking taxi drivers in the Cape Town CBD on August 01, 2023.
- Taxi associations under the SA National Taxi Council are set to convene an urgent meeting as impoundments continue in Cape Town.
- This comes after a week-long strike against a new by-law that permitted the impoundment of vehicles.
- The City said the taxis were all impounded “in terms of the agreement” reached between the City and the provincial government last week.
The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) is set to convene an urgent meeting on Monday after six minibus taxis were impounded over the weekend despite an agreement reached with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government last week.
Santaco staged an eight-day strike earlier this month against the City of Cape Town impounding dozens of vehicles over a range of infractions, including number plates not being displayed, taxi operators claimed.
Taxi officials believe the offending drivers should have been issued fines instead of having their vehicles impounded.
The strike was marred by confusion over whether the metro was enforcing a by-law in impounding the vehicles or whether they were seized based on regulations in the National Land Transport Act.
The protest was punctuated with violent incidents, including attacks on motorists. Five people were killed, including British tourist Kar Hao Teoh and Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officer Zanikhaya Kwinana.
Following the eight-day stayaway, the association reached an agreement with the City that no more taxis would be impounded within the next 14 days while they resolve the issues.
READ | Taxis are back on Cape Town roads. Here’s what we now know about the strike – and what happens next
Over the weekend, six taxis were impounded by City law enforcement officers.
Santaco’s Nceba Enge told News24 that the council had a meeting scheduled for Monday “to pave a way forward”.
Enge said they were still trying to confirm how many taxis were impounded.
However, the City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith confirmed that the taxis were impounded “in terms of the agreement” between the City and the provincial government.
He said:
There were four non-negotiable impoundable offences that we will still impound for during the next two weeks [of which there are 10 days left] while we write the standard operating procedure that differentiates what is serious from what is less serious, like an operating licence, PDP [professional driving permit], driver’s licence and roadworthiness.
Smith added that officers did impound one vehicle contrary to an agreement for overloading, which was returned.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told News24 that the first meeting of the reconvened taxi task team meeting was set for Tuesday.
News24 reported last week that the taxi task team would define a list, within 14 days, of additional major offences in terms of which vehicles will continue to be impounded in future, and compile an agreed-upon list of minor offences which do not have commuter safety implications and which will not be impoundable.