Violence by taxi associations in Hout Bay slammed: 'We can’t be law unto ourselves'

Cape Town - The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has condemned the violence that erupted in several parts of Cape Town over the past two weeks during protests by aggrieved taxi operators.

In the most recent incident, taxi drivers operating in Hout Bay staged a demonstration in the area, blocking several roads and calling for the City to take their grievances seriously.

The Hout Bay Taxi Association (HBTA) said drivers in the area had been struggling to make ends meet since the City introduced the MyCiTi bus service which operates on the same route as the taxis.

A representative of the association said that when the City introduced the MyCiTi service in the area, taxi owners were promised compensation for loss of revenue.

However, they have not received anything, but instead they say they have been further victimised by the City through law enforcement and traffic operations.

In response, the City said it had noted the complaints from the association regarding the compensation related to the roll-out of phase 1 of the MyCiTi service.

Urban Mobility Mayco member Rob Quintas said: “The City has been engaging with HBTA since 2014 in respect of this process and will continue to do so. This matter is on the Western Cape High Court roll. It has been initiated by HBTA, and the City is awaiting the court’s ruling on this matter.

“The City will continue to engage with the HBTA and will be meeting with the leadership of the community to find a solution. However, we don’t condone the violence that formed part of the demonstration on Monday, which included the stoning and petrol-bombing of MyCiTi buses and private vehicles in and around Suikerbossie and Hout Bay Gateway Circle, as well as the burning of tyres at the Circle.

“Behaviour that results in residents not being able to safely commute, and causes damage to public or private property will not be tolerated. This unfortunate incident left us with no choice but to suspend the MyCiTi and DAR services, but we cannot risk their safety while this unrest continues,” he said.

Santaco provincial chairperson, Mandla Hermanus, said: “We were never approached by any taxi body to say they are struggling due to certain circumstances. While we understand that recently there have been operation interventions that have seen taxis and amaphela taxis impounded, we are also conscious of the other challenges taxi operators face on a daily basis.

“As Santaco we are supposed to assist associations by providing them with a platform to engage the correct stakeholders to air their grievances and come up with suitable resolutions.

“We cannot do that when they don’t come to us and their demonstrations end in violence. We cannot then excuse their actions. We cannot be a law unto ourselves.”

[email protected]

Cape Argus