Cape Town - Taxi operators have urged law enforcement officers to ensure the closure of route B97 between Mbekweni in Paarl and Bellville does not affect other operations, including long-distance travel to the Eastern Cape as the holiday season approaches.
This after Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell announced an extension to the closure of the route for a further three months.
The route was closed from July 26 after concerted efforts to stop violence between operators affiliated to the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) failed.
Codeta spokesperson Andile Khanyi said he was not able to comment, because “nothing has come to Codeta regarding the extension of the closure of route B97”.
Khanyi said they were still waiting for Mitchell to address them on the matter.
Meanwhile, Cata secretary Mandla Hermanus welcomed the decision to extend the closure of the route saying it would be impossible to reopen that route when the arbitration process has not been finalised, as that would lead to renewed tensions between Cata and Codeta.
“We hope that this will be the last extension as the arbitration is at its final stage,” Hermanus said.
Mitchell said due to incessant incidents of violence, damage to property and a loss of lives post 2017 emanating from route-related conflict on route B97, he published a notice in terms of section 91 of the National Land Transport Act (Act no 5 of 2009) setting out proposed actions to stabilise the situation.
"These actions included, inter alia, the closure of route B97, the suspension of affected operating licences, the closure of all ranks in the Mbekweni area and the closure of certain loading lanes at the Bellville Public Transport Interchange,” he said.
He said his department had put a significant amount of time, money and effort over an extended period into trying to resolve the conflict, with the participation of Cata, Codeta, SA National Taxi Council, the City, Drakenstein Municipality, and the police, but an agreement could not be reached on the route outside of the arbitration process.