Cape Town – There have been no incidents of taxi violence reported this morning.
This is according to the Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith who shared the feedback delivered in the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security morning meeting.
Smith said few taxis are operating, and ranks and public transport interchanges (PTIs) are fairly quiet.
City enforcement services will be maintaining a presence at all affected taxi ranks and PTIs, Smith said.
“They are also conducting vehicle checks, searching for firearms and ensuring that those taxis that are operating are doing so legally.
“Our primary objective remains public safety, but this is a shared responsibility and we ask the public to report any information to our Public Emergency Communication Centre,” Smith said.
“The City also reminds residents to please desist from sharing voice notes and messages on instant messaging of social media, unless they have witnessed an incident personally or have first-hand information.
“We have witnessed an increase in the sharing of misinformation in recent days, which further fuels tensions and anxiety around the situation.”
The City of Cape Town said it will share verified information on its social media channels or with the media, should the need arise.
Premier Alan Winde has also vowed to officially request that the deployment of the army be bolstered with further boots on the ground to assist the police in their response to ongoing taxi violence in the province.
Winde said they could not allow “a group of thugs” to continue to threaten the lives of residents and to commit what was a clear act of economic sabotage by preventing people from getting to work safely.