Santaco calls off deadly taxi strike with immediate effect

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has called off its taxi strike with immediate effect.

The taxi council made the announcement late on Thursday after the strike entered the eighth day on Thursday.

The strike led to road closures and chaos in Cape Town, with at least five people killed.

Resolution

Santaco Western Cape Chair Mandla Hermanus said the immediate cessation of the stayaway comes after “painstaking deliberations and immense pressure” on all parties involved.

“As part of the resolution reached between the Taxi Industry and the Government, there is an agreement that the next 14 days will be utilised to work towards the release of the vehicles that were wrongly impounded.

“A heartfelt thank you goes out to each and every one of you for your patience, resilience, and unwavering resolve during these challenging times. We pledge our ongoing commitment to serve our communities with integrity, ensuring such incidents do not repeat in the future,” said Hermanus.

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Condolences

Hermanus also conveyed condolences to the families of the five people, including a 40-year-old British national and a police officer, who died in the deadly taxi strike by minibus taxi drivers which began on 3 August 2023.

“On behalf of Santaco Western Cape, I convey our sincerest condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives during the stay away. We stand with you in this time of grief and offer our profound sympathies.

“We also extend our heartfelt sympathy to everyone who was negatively affected by the events of the past days. It deeply saddens and disappoints us that it took this long for all parties to find a resolution. The wellbeing of our community and the public at large has always been our top priority, and it pains us to witness the unnecessary pain and suffering that transpired,” Hermanus said.

The taxi industry went on strike after its unhappiness with the recent impounding of minibuses by the City of Cape Town.

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