'He's not telling the truth': Vavi accuses Smith of lying about impounding taxis in Cape Town

Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has accused Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith of not telling the truth about the impounding of taxis in the city which led to the strike. 

At least two people have been killed and three others injured in the ongoing protest. Police are investigating murder and attempted murder cases.

Cape Town said it will not negotiate with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) while violence persists.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, Vavi said: “Saftu, every taxi association and drivers in Cape Town and Western Cape are not advocating for lawlessness and are not arguing they must be exempted from the rule of law. 

“We are not asking for any favours from the city or from the Western Cape government. JP Smith is not telling the country the truth. There is the National Land Transport Act that should guide all of our provincial and local governments.

“What is complicating life for everybody in Cape Town is they are not following the regulations from the National Land Transport Act. They are imposing their own and the imposed regulations are draconian.

“They are far worse than you can imagine and when the taxi associations were seeking to engage the local government, they simply said, 'We won’t talk, go to court'.

“The regulations of the city say if you do not wear a seat belt, you do not get a fine, your taxi gets impounded. On the first offence, you get to release your taxi at the rate of R7,000, second offence is R10,000 and third offence is R15,000.”

Law-enforcement officers have made 27 arrests in relation to the strike and arrested eight taxi drivers in Mfuleni.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city would not negotiate with a “literal” gun to its heads.

“There can be no further discussions with Santaco leadership until violence stops. We call on Santaco to stop the violence immediately. The rule of law is not up for negotiation. We cannot negotiate which portions of the law will apply to some people and not to others.

“This is not the way we will ever build a successful society in South Africa. The law applies equally to everyone. We will apply the law without fear or favour. We are protecting residents and commuters by opening roads, running buses with escorts and arresting perpetrators of violence. Our priority is protecting residents from violent taxi thugs,” said Hill-Lewis.