Durban was a ghost town on Thursday despite calls by eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba and KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC Siboniso Duma to owners to suspend their planned city-wide taxi strike and resume operations.
Xaba and the eThekwini Metro Taxi Council led by Mathula Mkhize, city manager Musa Mbhele, senior officials from the KwaZulu-Natal transport department and councillors representing Clermont and KwaDabeka met with owners on Wednesday to try to avert the two-day strike.
However, several ranks visited by TimesLIVE on Thursday morning, which are usually bustling, were empty.
Commuters were warned to make alternative transport plans after minibus taxi operators announced the two-day strike from Thursday in solidarity with the Clermont and KwaDabeka Taxi Owners Association after 25 vehicles were impounded last week.
The impounding came after taxi operators allegedly squared up with e-hailing drivers. One driver was shot and another assaulted.
Police detained 15 taxi owners and drivers in connection with the violence.
In a statement on Thursday, the municipality acknowledged concerns raised by the taxi industry.
"Chief among the concerns was the backlog in issuing operating licences. The municipality, in partnership with the provincial transport department, pledged to expedite the licensing process."
Regarding the impounding of vehicles operating without valid permits the municipality and transport department proposed :
- Strengthened law enforcement across all transport service providers.
- Police to apply precautionary discretion in enforcement.
- Full enforcement measures to apply to seven-seater vehicles operating outside legal parameters.
The municipality agreed to fast-track an economic viability survey to assess taxi rank capacity and route saturation to determine whether additional permits can be responsibly issued.
Xaba said he would convene an urgent indaba with e-hailing operators and the minibus taxi sector to address broader operational challenges, including the risks of using unlicensed public transport.
He said a joint task team comprising representatives from the taxi industry, municipality and transport department will be established to oversee the implementation of resolutions adopted in the meeting.
“We remain steadfast in our support for the taxi industry and are committed to implementing the resolutions of the meeting, which I will also convey to transport minister Barbara Creecy.”
TimesLIVE
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