The impasse between the taxi industry and the provincial government, including the City, looks set to continue until Wednesday after negotiations collapsed last night, leading to thousands of commuters being unable to travel to work on Monday.
Santaco general secretary Ryno Saaiers said talks with government officials were suspended due to the failure to reach an agreement.
“Santaco Western Cape, in good faith, availed itself to engage robustly with government officials to seek a timely and amicable resolution to the ongoing stay-away. While our intentions were to engage constructively and collaboratively, it is with profound disappointment that we must relay that the discussion was not as fruitful as anticipated. However, we remain resolute in our commitment to finding a resolution,” Saaiers said.
He said should government officials call them again on Monday or Tuesday, they would return to the negotiation table.
Santaco remains open and willing to engage with the government. Still, we call upon the respective government entities to approach these dialogues with sincerity, transparency, and in the spirit of good faith.
“We categorically condemn any acts of public violence and implore our members not to perpetuate such activities. Additionally, we urge our operators not to interfere with other transportation modes and to refrain from engaging in any unlawful activities,” said Saaiers.
Over the past 48-hours, a City depot in Delft was petrol-bombed and at least seven vehicles belonging to different departments, including law enforcement vehicles, were damaged or completely destroyed. The City has linked the killing of Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officer Zanikhaya Kwinana in Nyanga on Friday to the ongoing taxi dispute.
Three vehicles were torched in Makhaza, Khayelitsha.
In Atlantis city traffic officers responded to reports of public violence.
Golden Arrow Bus Service has meanwhile been granted an interdict by the Western Cape High Court against Santaco to stop harassment, intimidation and threats after at least six buses were torched amid the unrest.
Safety and security mayco member JP Smith said at last count at least 110 criminal cases had been registered for incidents relating to the strike.
The Western Cape Education Department also reported that 287 000 children missed school on Friday.
At the heart of the dispute are allegations that the City’s law enforcement officers were using by-laws to target taxi drivers while other motorists did not have their vehicles impounded for the same offences.
In a joint statement, mayco member for urban mobility Roberto Quintas and Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said on Friday officials made a proposal to alleviate the impact of impoundments on taxi operators, while they resolved the complex challenges around operating licences and other issues.
“Santaco then took this proposal to their members for internal engagement. At the latest meeting on Sunday, further progress was made with resolving the ongoing minibus taxi strike, until the suspension of negotiations in the early evening.
“Both City and Provincial governments are committed to further urgent engagement with Santaco leadership in the interest of resolving the current situation.
“All parties have reiterated the call for calm and for no further violence and that there should be no interference with other public transport operators,” they said.
The strike has not only left the national government concerned, but also the United Kingdom, which issued a travel alert last updated on Saturday, warning its citizens about the taxi strike and asking them to be cautious and seek advice.
National Transport department spokesperson Collen Msibi said Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga was concerned about the impounding of taxis by law enforcement authorities in the City and that members of the public remained stranded without taxis.
“She also expressed her concerns that some conditions that are allegedly attached to the operating permits and licences and being allegedly used as reasons for the impounding of taxis are not in keeping with the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) legislation.
The national government will, therefore, intervene in that regard.
The minister will ask the minister of police (Bheki Cele) to intervene and raise the matter with the law enforcement authorities in the City of Cape Town,” said Msibi.
He said Chikunga was pleased that Santaco was open for discussions to find a solution to the issues.
Cape Times