Additional train and bus trips have been scheduled between Paarl and Cape Town, as part of the contingency measures to help commuters who have been left stranded by renewed taxi violence.
Warring taxi groups, the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) have signed a peace agreement following weeks of taxi violence.
More than 80 people have been killed in taxi violence in the Western Cape since the start of this year.
A bus driver was shot at the Airport Approach Road two weeks ago:
Taxi commuters in Cape Town, hard hit by the recent spate of violence, seem sceptical that an agreement announced yesterday will ensure their safe passage to and from work.
Many have turned to rail and bus services for fear of their lives after 23 people were killed in the last three weeks of deadly taxi shootings.
“No I’m not taking a taxi anytime soon, I can’t, I don’t feel safe. I feel safer here on the trains. It is delaying but it’s much safer so I value my life,” says one of the commuters.
Another commuter says; “It worries me a lot because we might lose our lives that’s why I didn’t even take chances to ask anyone to take me to Kraaifontein because they promise us they will shoot if we are more than three in a private car.”
Under the agreement between the taxi groups, all legal operating licence holders for routes to and from Mbekweni except for the closed B97 route, must commence services or face consequences.
Municipalities have been asked to place a moratorium on issuing new operating licences on all affected routes. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says any further acts of violence will see all affected routes closed and operating licences suspended.
“The agreement is to ensure and guarantee ceasefire but to enable us to do things that we need to do, particularly from regulating the industry and at the same time close loopholes in terms of route issues. The operators themselves, their legality has been questioned and at the same time get things back into order and allow those who are are supposed to commute people and operate, operate and that’s what is important for us and I think it’s a breakthrough in many ways.”
Western Cape Minister of Transport, Daylin Mitchell, says the contentious B97 route between Mbekweni and Bellville remains closed.
“Until such time that I am confident that the violence has stopped, that the commuters are safe, and that from a holistic perspective that it has not spiralled out of control to other routes, so as per gazette, I’ve closed the route for two months and if the situation changes and facts change, I might change my mind.”
An arbitration process to finalise the months-long feud is still under way.
