Cape Town - The three-day taxi imbizo, during which the Minibus Taxi Task Team (MBTTT) signed an agreement, concluded on Wednesday.
The Western Cape government, Santaco-WC and the City of Cape Town formed the team, which also included the national Transport Department.
The task team was formed to avoid taxi violence. Santaco had missed meetings before it embarked on an eight-day stayaway at the beginning of August.
The taxi body, City and province had been at loggerheads for weeks after the strike, with Santaco approaching the high court to file an interdict against taxi impoundments.
The taxi organisation approached the Western Cape High Court days after the City impounded six taxis, which it said was in breach of an agreement that the City wouldn’t impound taxis for 14 days after they signed an agreement to resume their operations.
The court rejected the application and Santaco went back to the table.
In a joint statement, the MBTTT said they had signed an agreement to safeguard commuters.
“The Minibus Taxi Task Team’s three-day imbizo has culminated in a signed agreement that safeguards commuter safety and outlines a clear process for continued co-operation,” they said.
“All parties sat for three days to systematically work through the enforcement consequences for each of the operating licence conditions that we committed to collectively review.
“Through extensive consultation and earnest deliberation, we have found common ground on what are fair and rational consequences for most of the operating licence condition transgressions.
“Underpinning this exercise is the mutual priority to address fundamental challenges in the transport sector and deliver functional, reliable, safe mobility for our commuters.”
The MBTTT added that they have committed to completing this task within a four-week period, which started yesterday, and will redouble their efforts to find common ground on the outstanding points of disagreement.
“While the MBTTT fully acknowledges the complexity of the work that still lies ahead, the agreement is a meaningful milestone towards ensuring that minibus taxis continue fulfilling their significant role in the overall transport network.”