Somerset West taxi shutdown may be extended, says MEC

Taxis from Khayelitsha and Mfuleni to Somerset West have not been allowed to operate since 17 September. Photo: Sandiso Phaliso

Two weeks into the 30-day closure of taxi routes between Khayelitsha and Somerset West, still no agreement has been reached between rival taxi associations CATA and CODETA.

After weeks of violence in which eight people were killed in August and September, the Western Cape Department of Mobility decided to close the routes for 30 days. The closure came into effect on 17 September.

CODETA has launched an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court to call off the shutdown, but the case has faced multiple delays. It was only heard in court on Tuesday, with a further hearing scheduled for Saturday.

Speaking to reporters outside court on Tuesday, Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said the case was a “waste of time” and that the leaders of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) should rather “show leadership and come back to the table and come to an agreement”.

Should no agreement be reached, the closure will be extended beyond 30 days, he warned.

Law enforcement and police have been patrolling the routes. Golden Arrow Bus Services has made more buses available between Khayelitsha and Somerset West.

Sileku rejected CODETA’s claims in court that commuters have been robbed while seeking alternative transport. The government has received no such reports, he said.

“We had to implement measures to find calm. If we had not taken the decision, there was not going to be order and calm in this industry,” said Sileku.

CODETA representative Edgar Mohale said it was irresponsible for Sileku to shut down taxi routes “even though there were no shootings or violence for three weeks prior to the closure of taxi routes”. (This is not true: a man was killed in Browns Farm on 15 September and in Somerset West on 4 September.)

Mohale said there were 56 taxis parked in garages that would be operating in Mfuleni and Khayelitsha.

CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi could not be reached for comment.

A CODETA taxi driver, Jongikhaya Chiliza, told GroundUp that he has not earned any money for two weeks. It’s been rough, he said. “There was no reason for the government to shut down the routes.”

Tamsanqa Vukutu, affiliated with CATA, said the government should have made more effort to mediate discussions between the associations. “We are paying instalments for these cars, and the rest are standing in garages,” said Vukuthu.

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