Outcome of Meeting between Premier and MEC's on Taxi Violence

This is after a convened meeting between the Premier, MEC for Community Safety, Leornard Ramatlakane, MEC Transport and Public Works, Marius Fransman, senior police officers, officials of the departments of community safety and of transport and public works. Following this meeting the Premier met with the leadership of the taxi council.

Senior police officers briefed the meeting on the upsurge of taxi violence - in particular in the Delft, Kraaifontein, Bellville interchange and the Cape Town City deck.

These four have been identified as the "hot-spots" areas linked to the current spate of violent incidences. As a result of police and security presence in these areas, there has been a decrease in violence which has now shifted onto the routes.

The meeting heard that new permits and an overtraded route were the cause of the shootings. Several recommendations were submitted by the South African Police in an effort to curb the violence in the taxi industry with immediate effect.

Premier Ebrahim Rasool welcomed these recommendations and remarked, "The roleplayers have given their reports and I am optimistic that we are making progress. I can now confirm that since the Ntsebeza report was released, incidence of violence on our taxi ranks have declined dramatically.

"As we speak, our police are undertaking various operations to secure our ranks as we are determined not to let the gains we have made be rolled back. Taxis are not a place for guns, it is our intention to have a Gun Free Public Transport industry."

" I want to appeal to the citizens of Cape Town to be patient in the course of our police and other law enforcement agencies undertaking their duties to secure public places in our Province. I would also like to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused during these operations."

Premier Rasool and the MEC's re-iterated that these operations will not only deal with the taxi violence but will also address the renewed gang violence in the cape flats.

The meeting decided to make further recommendations to be tabled at Cabinet next Wednesday with regards to the Ntsebeza Report.

This is a joint statement from the Office of the Premier, the Ministry of Community Safety and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.