The national leadership of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) is set to engage with taxi industry representatives in the Western Cape in an effort to address escalating violence between rival taxi associations, which has left commuters in Cape Town living in fear.
In a statement, SANTACO’s national office confirmed that a delegation led by its president, Abnar Tsebe, will hold meetings with the council’s provincial leadership, as well as representatives of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) and the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA), which have been embroiled in ongoing conflict.
SANTACO says it views the recent incidents of violence with grave concern, stressing that every effort must be made to restore calm, protect lives and safeguard the interests of commuters, taxi operators and the broader public.
The delegation aims to engage with all parties to gain a clearer understanding of the underlying issues contributing to the tensions and collectively explore practical and sustainable solutions to bring about lasting peace in the industry.
However, repeated efforts to resolve the dispute and establish peace between the two associations have so far failed to produce a lasting solution.
SANTACO national spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Rebecca Phala says the council maintains that disagreements within the taxi industry should be resolved through constructive engagement, established organisational processes and lawful mechanisms, rather than violence and intimidation.
Phala emphasised that protecting human life must remain the industry’s top priority, adding that disputes over operating routes or organisational interests should never come at the expense of innocent commuters and communities.
The national office says it is approaching the planned engagements in a spirit of dialogue, responsibility and unity, with the hope of making meaningful progress towards restoring stability in the Western Cape taxi industry.
