City of Cape Town :Taxis will still be impounded for breaking the law

City of Cape Town commuters were left stranded on Thursday, 3 August when the Western Cape arm of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape announced a stayaway.

The taxi operators were unhappy with a new by-law that came into effect in July whereby the City of Cape Town could impound vehicles for a list of offences were previously only punishable with a fine.

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THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN HAS THE SAFETY OF COMMUTERS AT THE TOP OF ITS LIST

The strike lasted for a week, and eventually the City of Cape Town and other stakeholders came to an agreement with Santaco on the way forward, and taxi operators returned on Friday, August 11, according to IOL.

However MMC for Safety and Security, JP, Smith was quick to point out in Facebook post on Saturday, 12 August that the City of Cape Town did not lose its bite when negotiating with Santaco.

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“I heard Mandla Hermanus from SANTACO on radio claiming that the agreement that brought about the end of the taxi strike was based on a reduction of the list of things for which the City and Provincial Traffic can impound and that taxis will be released from the pound,” Smith said on Facebook.

“This is not accurate,” Smith said and went on to clarify what was agreed upon by the parties.

Chief among which is “impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act (NLTA) will continue for vehicles driving without an operating license, or on the incorrect route, or without a driver’s license, or which are not roadworthy.”

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