Three days set aside to sort out Western Cape taxi industry issues

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A three-day imbizo to trash out issues affecting the taxi industry in the Western Cape has been set aside for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week. A Minibus Taxi Task Team reconvened in Cape Town today following the withdrawal of the taxi organisation, South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) earlier.

The team says it’s deliberated on a revision of the Terms of Reference for the industry, which are expected to be signed by the end of this week. A crippling eight-day strike earlier this month left behind a huge cost in human lives, property, and infrastructure.

The first of the planned 14-day task team meetings of engagements began in earnest at Rondebosch in Cape Town. The City of Cape Town, Western Cape Government, and Santaco all agree Tuesday’s proceedings were cordial.

“There’s a sense of progress because we have set up an agenda together and all the items on the agenda will be discussed in the three-day meeting next week. So, we are hoping that we will reach an agreement here and there. Where we do not agree this is still a working document, so we will continue. The spirit is good between the industry, the city, and the department of mobility,” says Nceba Enge from Santaco.

“I really firmly believe that this is one of the most positive and productive sittings of the task team a walk away from our initial engagements since the strike which was today with the sense of confidence that there’s a lot of will to find an agreement around some of the more pressing issues,” says Rob Quintas, City of Cape Town.

The three parties issued a joint statement, detailing how they’ll proceed from the three-day imbizo that’s been set aside.

“Today was actually a very productive meeting with my colleagues in the City of Cape Town and the leadership of Santaco having plotted the way forward one to comply with the order of the court an agreement that was made an order of the court two to ensuring that we are setting up an agenda because we agreed now to set an imbizo starting on Monday until Wednesday,” says Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape Minister of Mobility.

The team says high on the agenda is to prioritise the interest of commuters and to collectively address issues concerning the minibus-taxi industry. The aim is to see public transport in the Metro moving efficiently, safely, and harmoniously.