Commuters were dealt a heavy blow last week when two of the biggest taxi associations caused havoc, torching buses, bringing early morning traffic to a grinding halt. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - Organisers of last week’s taxi strike during which the N2 was blocked, buses and other vehicles torched and havoc caused with traffic could face cost penalties for the damages caused.
“We condemn these actions in the strongest terms and call on the SAPS to investigate these acts and bring those responsible to book. We have compiled a damage assessment report and submitted it to our Legal Services branch for consideration,” said Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
On Thursday, the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) members marched to Premier Alan Winde’s office to hand over a memorandum.
The City’s safety and security directorate said more than R4 million in damages was caused. Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs) had incurred at least R3.5 million in damages, the City R275 000 and private vehicle owners an estimate of R380 000.
“The figures excluded the economic losses of individuals and businesses because of the traffic gridlock, not to mention innocent bystanders who were hurt trying to escape attacks on vehicles and who would have had to spend money to pay for medical care, who might be losing out on time at work due to physical or emotional trauma,” it said.
Three traffic officers were attacked on the N2 near the Raapenberg offramp, according to the directorate.
Smith said the City had in the past instituted civil claims against protest organisers and considered doing the same in this instance.
“The list of incidents reported during Thursday’s chaos is extensive and includes vehicles being stoned, petrol-bombed, hijacked and looted,” he said.
Codeta rejected allegations that the violence were strike-related.
Spokesperson Andile Khanyi said while they still awaited Winde’s response to their demands, they were concerned by the City’s comments that they were responsible for the attacks on buses and cars during their protest.
“I think a week or two weeks ago, Golden Arrow buses were burnt in those locations when there was no taxi protest at all. The same incidents took place during our protest, and suddenly we are to blame. There is no link between what happened to those buses and our protest. Our march was peaceful,” he said.
Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell said he was in the process of studying the taxi associations’ memorandum of demands, but could not allow last week’s chaos to go unchallenged.
He said his department would see to it that the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) acted against Cata for violent incidents and the disruption of travel routes in Nyanga. Calls and messages to Cata spokesperson Mandla Hermanus went unanswered.
The City urban mobility directorate said it supported the issuing of more than 1400 new operating licences to taxi associations across Cape Town.
Up to 533 new routes across the Cape Town metropolitan were being planned. Comments and objections should be made by April 8, 2022.
nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za