Two taxi associations have managed to avert the closure of taxi ranks at the eleventh hour after reaching an agreement with the Gauteng government to cease all acts of violence against each other.
This comes after widespread violence between the Evaton west Taxi Association (ETWA) and the Internal Taxi Association (ITA) operating in Sedibeng in the Vaal, led to MEC for transport Jacob Mamabolo to serve the two associations with notices to shut down their ranks.
Mamabolo told Sowetan the decision to close the associations’ ranks had come after a year of his department attempting to intervene and prevent violent clashes between the two organisations.
The MEC issued both associations with notices of intention to close their taxi ranks last week and that the ranks would not be functional from Tuesday.
But on Monday, Mamabolo said a Memorandum of Agreement reached between ETWA and ITA that dictates that both associations agreed to a ceasefire, end conflicts, stop the damage of vehicles and ensure passengers are always safe in their vehicles and at taxi ranks.
“The two associations will continue operating in the area for as long as they abide by an agreement they are signatories to. Any violation of the terms of the agreement will leave us with no choice, but to shut down their operations without consulting them,” said Mamabolo.
He said the decision to shut down taxi operations was not taken lightly as this would negatively affect the mobility of commuters, as this is their primary mode of transport.
“This, however, is not a licence for taxi operators to act with impunity, often endangering the lives of their customers. We will be monitoring their operations closely and will not hesitate to act when necessary”, added Mamabolo.
To date, four people have been killed during clashes while vehicles have been burnt and destroyed.
Mamabolo previously said: “As the department, we started working on the dispute [between the associations] and tried to facilitate a negotiated settlement last year in July.
“I appointed a senior counsel to facilitate negotiations and solutions to the problem. While we were about to reach an agreement, the associations collapsed the agreement. They refused to accept the proposed solution on the table and went back to their initial points.”
The MEC said he had held numerous meetings with the associations and their legal teams, but they had refused to come to an agreement.
Mamabolo said he had visited the two associations and driven about with them on the routes they are contesting and proposed appointing an arbitrator to make a ruling on which association was legally permitted to operate on the routes.
“After that, a week later they resorted to violence. They refused to commit themselves to the peaceful processes that I initiated. After a year’s worth of negotiations they refused to avail themselves to an arbitration process. I am left with an option to take drastic measures because all measures have been exhausted.”
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