Ekurhuleni taxi services resume after strike over vehicle impoundment. Image: eNCA.
(The Post News)– After a tense shutdown, taxi services in Ekurhuleni resumed operating. The shutdown was sparked by the impoundment of several unroadworthy taxis. The Gauteng MEC for Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, says a settlement has been reached with the transport industry in the City of Ekurhuleni, bringing the two-day strike to an end.
Taxi Strike Leaves Commuters Stranded
Thousands of commuters were left stranded on Thursday and Friday as the local taxi association, along with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), stopped operations. Reports indicate that the suspension of services was a direct response to the impoundment of vehicles by local authorities.
According to Santaco’s Ekurhuleni Secretary Zweli Mnisi, the strike began after several vehicles were impounded by traffic authorities for lacking necessary permits. “More than 17 of our vehicles have been impounded by law enforcement, and they demand R5000 to release those vehicles,” he said. Mnisi stated that the government needs to step up and do their part. “They say they have a backlog for issuing of the permits. We are always engaging with the Gauteng MEC about the operating licenses,” Mnisi added.
Taxi Association Agrees to Stop
Diale-Tlabela stated that the industry agreed to resume services after a 2-day strike. “What is important to us is to apologize to those who have been inconvenienced by the lack of services since yesterday and this morning. And we are happy that we have reached a settlement with the taxi industry in Ekurhuleni that they will resume services this afternoon and make sure that they provide the service,” she said.
“And important to us is to deal [with] the issues that they have raised, and amongst those issues are issues of how do we make sure that there is law and order within public transport operations in our province,” said Diale-Tlabela.
According to an interview by the ENCA, commuters reported that the strike and vehicle impoundment saga highlight the ongoing tensions between taxi drivers and the government over road safety regulations and the issuance of operating permits. A commuter said, “They did not tell us that they are striking, because if there was a strike, they should not have taken us in the morning. We do not know how we are going to get back home.”
Santaco reports that delays in the permit process are a major source of their frustrations. While Ekurhuleni commuters faced another day of travel uncertainty, Santaco assured the public that taxi operations in other parts of the country will remain unaffected as operations resume.
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