Taxi owners distance themselves from strike

The meeting held between the taxi associations, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, GABS, concerned taxi drivers and the South African Police Services came a day after taxi drivers went on a strike and wreaked havoc in Nyanga and Mfuleni over increases of traffic fines.

Alfred Maseti of Cata said they were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting especially with the fact that a forum would be established. He said all they had to do now was set up a meeting with other associations so that names could be brought forward of those who would make up the forum.

Vusumzi Miselo of Codeta reiterated that Monday’s violent strike was all on the taxi drivers and had nothing to do with the taxi owners.

“We had been getting complaints from our drivers about the fines and we decided to meet with South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) who in turn wrote a letter to the City of Cape Town about the grievances,” said Miselo. “Santaco gave the City seven days to reply to the letter. The seven days ended on Tuesday, but the drivers went on strike on Monday without us knowing.”

A taxi owner from Mfuleni who wished to remain anonymous, said on Monday one of his drivers came to him, parked the taxi in his yard, and told him that he was not working that day and was joining a strike that had been organised by taxi drivers because of traffic fines.

“I did not argue. I opened the gate and let him park the taxi. Just last week one of my drivers was complaining that he got stopped by traffic officers at a roadblock and was fined R11,000 because his 15 passengers were not wearing seat belts,” he said.

According to Western Cape department of transport and public works head of communication Al-Ameen Kafaar, traffic fines increased provincially on 1 August and both the city and the provincial traffic officials were able to issue fines.

In a statement, MEC Transport and Public Works Donald Grant and Provincial Traffic Chief Kenny Africa, stated that the increase was in support of their efforts to improve safety and compliance on the roads.

Amongst the list of offences: failure to show a driving license went from R500 to R1,500; driving without a Professional Driving Permit went from R500 to R2,500, and with passengers R3,000; overload offences were changed from kilogram categories to percentage categories, and fines that were between R250 and R2,500 now ranged between R750 and R5,000.

Taxi drivers told GroundUp they and not the taxi owners pay these fines.

Fines for having an unroadworthy bus or minibus, however, were to be paid by the taxi owners and these had been increased from R1,000 to R3,000.