Impounded taxis released after discussions
The taxi strike that spewed chaos through the streets of Durban yesterday has been resolved, with the city urging prosecutors to process the impounded vehicles speedily to avoid further damage to the city.
DURBAN taxi commuters can breathe a sigh of relief after eThekwini Municipality and the Taxi Industry agreed to the speedy processing of impounded taxis following due processes to get the remaining taxis back on the road.
The agreement will ensure the release of about 44 impounded taxis after yesterday’s strike action by members of the taxi industry which left thousands of commuters without transport.
The strike, which was associated with the attacking of Municipal buses ferrying passengers to various destinations and injury of commuters, has been condemned by eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo.
Watch: Scenes from taxi industry protest in Durban
During an urgent meeting with Taxi Industry representatives at City Hall today, Nxumalo emphasised the need to strengthen communication between the City and members of the Taxi Industry.
“We want to make it clear that the destruction of property and injuring of innocent people will not be tolerated. Our lines of communication are open. We want to ensure that there are regular meetings with the Taxi Industry going forward,” said Nxumalo.
City Manager Sibusiso Sithole said that during a meeting with prosecutors dealing with the release of vehicles, it was pointed out that the City was dealing with a difficult situation that called for urgent intervention.
“We explained to the state prosecutor that if the matter was not speedily resolved it could cause huge damage to the City and the KwaZulu-Natal Province as well as negatively affect commuters. We don’t want to ever find ourselves in this situation again, but what needs to be clearly understood is that Metro Police have the power to enforce the law and law enforcement operations will continue,” said Sithole.
General-Secretary of South African National Taxi Council in eThekwini, Yusuf Khaliva said they were pleased with the outcome of the meeting with the City leadership.
“This kind of engagement is what we have always wanted and we also understand that the issuing of permits is a Provincial Department of Transport competency. We always communicate with members of the Metro police and we need to strengthen our channels of communication as role players,” he said.
Khaliva added that monthly meetings with key roleplayers including the City Manager and the Mayor was important so that crucial issues pertaining to the taxi industry could be discussed openly.
