CAPE TOWN – Taxi council Santaco in the Western Cape said it is not entirely against the impounding of minibus taxis in Cape Town.
Local taxi associations affiliated to Santaco are at loggerheads with the municipality over the city's traffic by-law that gives power to officers to impound vehicles instead of issuing a fine.
However, the City of Cape Town insists that it has not seized any minibus taxi using a by-law but only under national legislation.
The impasse has left thousands of taxi commuters stranded for a week now – and there's still no indication of whether taxis will be available tomorrow as scheduled.
Santaco provincial chairperson Mandla Hermanus said they're not saying taxi impoundments should not be carried out, but that this should not be used as an excuse to target minibus taxis.
He said they have an issue with taxi impoundments being used to target minibus taxis.
"We agree that there are instances where a vehicle may be impounded. For example, a driver who does not have a driver’s license, a vehicle that does not have an operating license, a vehicle that is not roadworthy, those are non-negotiables."
Santaco is currently in talks with Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga hopefully to find a solution to the ongoing taxi stay away.
Artmotion S.Africa
