The City of Cape Town said it intends to sue Santaco over damages that were caused by the recent taxi strike.
This as a three-day minibus taxi task team imbizo, aimed at finding solutions to issues plaguing the industry, kicked off on Monday.
The violent strike claimed the lives of five people while buses, vehicles and infrastructure were damaged.
Taxi owners, drivers and gaatjies protested at what they called the City’s unfair impoundment of their vans.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis confirmed legal action will be taken to cover the cost of the damage, but said no formal notices have been sent to Santaco yet.
“We are still collating the cost of the damages,” Hill-Lewis adds.
Provincial general-secretary Ryno Saaiers said Santaco was aware of the City’s intentions but claimed it was not their members who caused the damage.
“I learnt through the media that the City is intending to sue Santaco. However, we have not received any formal letters, but should we receive anything, we will approach our legal team.”
According to Santaco, members were instructed “to park their vehicles and not to engage in violent activities”.
Over the weekend, the City clamped down on rogue motorists, including taxi drivers who have been dodging paying their traffic fines.
According to Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, 19 suspects were arrested on Thursday on the City’s top 100 offenders list; one had 33 outstanding fines, another had 55 and the top offender had 77 fines.
This was one of their biggest operations, he added, and home visits would become a standard feature moving forward to ensure that people faced the consequences.
However, an outraged Saaiers said the City was clearly persecuting taxi drivers.
“We feel taxi drivers are being targeted with another thing. They didn’t get it right with the impoundment and now they’re trying another way,” he explained.
“We never said drivers mustn’t pay their fines, and as much as we are not happy with what happened, it is part of the law, but to go to taxi drivers’ homes and fetch them is extraordinary.”
The taxi imbizo kicked off on a positive note, according to MEC for Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie. The three-day imbizo ends on Wednesday.
Mackenzie tells the Daily Voice: “I am pleased with the constructive engagement between Western Cape government, City of Cape Town and Santaco-WC.
“The needs and rights of commuters are placed front and centre of these discussions.”
Santaco provincial deputy-chairperson Nceba Enge believes the meeting went well. “We, however, cannot disclose anything at the moment because the negotiations are still in progress however the meeting is progressing well,” Enge adds.
Meanwhile, a suspect allegedly linked to taxi-related shootings, Zukike Sikunana, has appeared at the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Sikunana was arrested in Ocean View on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa has confirmed that Sikunana is linked to a triple murder in Khayelitsha in December last year, as well as a murder in Masiphumelele.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case has been postponed to September 5.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za