Government and Plettenberg Bay taxi associations sign Memorandum of Agreement to end violence
Media Release By Daylin Mitchell, Western Cape Minister of Transport and Public Works
Today, an agreement was entered into by the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, Western Cape Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE), the Provincial Taxi Registrar, Bitou Municipality UNCEDO Taxi Association and Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association to end tensions between taxi associations.
On 19 November 2019, the Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association launched an application in the Western Cape High seeking certain interdictory relief against UNCEDO Taxi Association. The Western Cape Provincial Regulatory Entity as well the Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works were cited as Respondents in the High Court matter.
The parties eventually agreed to postpone the matter pending the outcome of an inquiry conducted by the PRE in terms of Regulation 9(2) of the National Land Transport Regulations. This legal provision allows the PRE to investigate any matter relating to land transport in the province and to make recommendations to me. The inquiry was conducted during the latter part of 2020 and the report was released to all parties in March 2021.
Following the Regulation 9(2) inquiry, my officials worked tirelessly with the two associations and their legal teams to find common ground and to craft an operational agreement that protects the interests of both parties and which will give effect to a safe and dignified environment for the commuting public.
The signing of this agreement today is confirmation of the willingness of both associations to co-exist and to respect operating rights and to consult one another on matters of mutual interest. While certain routes will be mutually exclusive, there will still be routes on which the associations will jointly operate. We are confident that the parties have agreed on a system of operation that will ensure sustained peace and stability.
It is a well-known fact that the taxi industry in the Western Cape has been marred by ongoing violence, damage to property, and a loss of lives. This kind of criminal behaviour detracts from the important role this industry plays in addressing the mobility needs of our communities.
Plettenberg Bay has not seen the kind of route-related violence and taxi murders that we have experienced in the rest of the Western Cape, in particular the City of Cape Town. However, there has been ongoing tension between the two associations about the access to routes and other operational dynamics.
This agreement will be made an order of court and as a Department we want to replicate this process elsewhere in the Western Cape. We are also hopeful that this process will serve as a reminder to others that sustainable peace and stability can be achieved only through peaceful deliberations and ultimately consensus.
We have to be mindful of the fact that informal gentlemen’s agreements, the sharing of routes, illegal operations and other operational challenges escalated the tension between the parties.
In most violent conflicts, an agreement is eventually signed between the parties. Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association and UNCEDO Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association have demonstrated that many lives can be saved if we commit to peaceful deliberations as a first option.
I commend both associations for not resorting to violence and for their willingness to resolve issues by means of deliberation.
We will review this agreement every seven years to respond to changes in operational dynamics.
I want to thank every person who played a role in this process. May every member of the two associations respect this agreement and adhere to the terms and conditions thereof.
Media Queries:
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka
Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell
Cell: 082 953 0026