GroundUp reports that two weeks into the 30-day closure of taxi routes between Khayelitsha and Somerset West, still no agreement has been reached between rival taxi associations Cata (Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association) and Codeta (Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association).
After weeks of violence in which eight people were killed in August and September, the Western Cape Department of Mobility decided to close the routes for 30 days. The closure came into effect on 17 September. Codeta has since launched an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court to call off the shutdown, but the case has faced multiple delays. It was only heard in court on Tuesday, with a further hearing scheduled for Saturday. On Tuesday, Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said the case was a “waste of time” and that the leaders of the Cata and Codeta should rather “show leadership and come back to the table and come to an agreement”. Should no agreement be reached, the closure would be extended beyond 30 days, he warned.
Law enforcement and police have been patrolling the routes and Golden Arrow Bus Services has made more buses available between Khayelitsha and Somerset West. Sileku rejected Codeta’s claims in court that commuters have been robbed while seeking alternative transport. The government has received no such reports, he said.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sandiso Phaliso at GroundUp
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