Cape Town - Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela is expected to meet two groups in the minibus taxi industry today to address the conflict between their members.
Madikizela said he also called an urgent meeting with officials from his department and the City to discuss measures to be taken to ensure the safety of commuters at the Bellville and other taxi ranks, where Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) are fighting for control over routes.
This comes after two separate shooting incidents recently at the Bellville taxi rank.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the incident, which happened on Friday morning, resulted in one commuter being killed and two operators wounded. The police arrested a suspect and seized a firearm.
Potelwa said that incident followed another on Thursday afternoon when police apprehended seven suspects at the same rank in connection with a shooting earlier that day. She said no one was injured.
“Police will continue to monitor the situation,” Potelwa said.
Madikizela said measures might include the closure of certain ranks and routes as a last resort if it was assessed that the lives of passengers or members of the public could be further endangered as a result of the conflict.
“I will also be calling on all municipalities to take back control of management and security at municipal ranks and facilities from associations and mother bodies who use their position of power at these facilities to collect ‘taxes’ from legal as well as illegal taxi operators and hawkers,” he said.
Madikizela said he would be requesting the City to implement improved security measures and systems for identifying legal taxis and access control measures that would ensure illegally operating taxis were not allowed to forcefully infiltrate ranks.
South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) provincial spokesperson Gershon Geyer denounced the killings and violence.
“We have a virtual meeting with Madikizela, Cata and Codeta and we are hoping to come to a solution to deal with this violence.”
He said they also hoped the perpetrators were brought to book as soon as possible.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 0860010111 or contact MySAPSApp.
Cape Argus