Route closure may be extended as talks between Western Cape taxi groups stall

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The disputed minibus taxi Route B97, between Bellville and Mbekweni, near Paarl in the Western Cape, might remain closed for another four months as discussions between taxi groups stall. 

The provincial minister of mobility, Daylin Mitchell, announced his intention to extend the route closure for another four months in the Provincial Gazette last Friday. It allows for comment before the four-month extension is formally gazetted.

But representatives of the taxi industry and the authorities did not reach an agreement on Monday to reopen the route before 26 May.

The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) requested the provincial department of mobility more time to reach a memorandum of agreement to share Route B97. 

The taxi groups said they made the request because they are involved in the South African National Taxi Council’s (Santaco’s) elections. 

Mitchell said in a press statement on Tuesday that talks between the Paarl Alliance Taxi Association and Cata Boland could not take place because Cata and Codeta “would not allow the two route associations to engage on their own”. 

As a result of not reaching an agreement,the department of transport, City of Cape Town, Drakenstein municipality, Wineland district municipality, provincial traffic and the police recommended that “it would be premature to re-open the route”. 

Mitchell reiterated that the provincial government wants the route to be re-opened “as soon as possible” but that they cannot do so if the safety of the public is not guaranteed.

“There must not be any chance of a member of the public being caught up in violence similar to what we saw in July 2021,” Mitchell said. In July last year, 24 people, including commuters, lost their lives in taxi violence. 

He added: “Until a formal agreement is reached on the sharing of the route, reopening B97 would inevitably result in a flood of illegal taxi operators, which would likely reignite the conflict and violence.”

Route B97 has been padlocked by the provincial government since 26 July last year when violence between taxi operators was at its height, affecting the region’s transport network and commuters. 

The closure affects two taxi ranks in Mbekweni, local route loading lanes and the long-distance facility at the Bellville public transport interchange, the Paint City rank, as well as an informal rank in Bellville.

Cata and Codeta have to share the route. 

A former Codeta driver, who worked without a driver’s licence between 2012 and 2020 before quitting the taxi business, previously told Mail & Guardian: “The taxi war starts from Paarl, the people from Paarl need permits [operating licences for each taxi].

“People get individual permits but others do not and that is where the war starts. Codeta has permits, Cata has no permits. That is why the people are fighting. They are fighting over permits,” claims the 28-year-old former taxi driver. 

After the route closure, the Drakenstein Council in Paarl resolved to support an initial number of additional operating licences on the B97 route. 

Cata and Codeta have to list members who would qualify to apply for these operating licences. As with the stalling memorandum, the taxi associations have not yet put forward the list of names. 

Santaco’s chairperson Mandla Hermanus noted after the discussion on Monday that the “minibus taxi industry is under pressure to get the route reopened but we also understand that the route cannot just be reopened in a vacuum. To ensure that there will be no violence, there must be a way of resolving the issues that led to the closure of the route.”

Hermanus said the leaders of both associations and Santaco “are committed to finding a lasting resolution to the issues concerning Route B97. If we are talking about peace between Cata and Codeta working together, Route B97 would be a practical demonstration.”