The City and the SA National Taxi Council’s (Santaco) agreement to halt the taxi strike seems not to have been as successful as thought, as taxis continued to be impounded at the weekend, further straining a “sour” relationship.
The parties also have different interpretations of what they agreed upon, with safety Mayco member JP Smith taking to social media at the weekend to correct “inaccurate statements” over the agreement.
This as the 14-day taxi task team was expected to meet on Monday to discuss the “new regulations” and a new chapter on how minibus taxis would operate in the province.
Smith said he had heard Santaco claiming that the agreement that brought about the end of the taxi strike last week was based on a reduction of the list of requirements for which the City and provincial traffic could impound taxis and that taxis would be released, which he said was not true.
He said the negotiations concluded that impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act (NLTA) will continue for vehicles on the road without an operating license, or on the incorrect route, or without a driver’s license, or which were not roadworthy.
“In order to avoid conflicts between enforcement staff on the road and public transport employees it is important that we are clear about exactly what was agreed to. We have agreed that the Taxi Task Team will further define a list, within 14 days, of additional major offences in terms of which vehicles will continue to be impounded in future. This will take the form of an Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide enforcement staff on the exercise of the discretionary power provided for in the NLTA.
“Importantly, if Santaco believes that any of their taxis have been impounded for these minor offences, then they can produce the relevant impoundment notices and the City will then make representations to the Public Prosecutor to support the release of these vehicles,” said Smith.
He said when it came to the request by the taxi associations to release impounded vehicles, the City agreed to engage taxi associations in respect of impoundment notices which the taxi associations assert were for minor offences, during the 14-day period.
“We issue 50 times more fines than we impound vehicles, despite the fact that each of those offences permit for impoundment in terms of the law,” he said.
In a list seen by the Cape Times dated July 12, about eight taxis were impounded.
Santaco’s Nceba Enge accused the City of not being genuine, but only negotiating in order to see an end to the strike.
“On Saturday and today taxis were impounded and mostly taken illegally.
Taxi operators were told they will receive the vehicles after paying fines.
“Smith’s people were also spotted in Bellville, I’m waiting for further details if this was some kind of an operation or what.
“The matters were complained about during the negotiations, saying they will be addressed at the task team, it seems they have already made their decisions looking at their attitudes and remarks.
“Our relationship with the City is beyond sour now and we don’t know if we will ever see eye to eye.
“As a matter of fact we will be approaching the courts and making submissions tomorrow morning.
“We have no misunderstanding of the agreement we reached with them but it seems like they are backtracking from their words,” said Enge.
An eight-day stay away by Santaco and affiliates claimed five lives, left many injured and saw mayhem across the city with destruction of clinics, a police station, libraries and damage to private and state vehicles.
Teaching and learning at schools was also interrupted with 852 000 pupils and 17 700 staff members absent.
Cape Times