ActionSA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to come out of hiding and intervene in the Western Cape taxi protest which began last Thursday.
The strike comes after taxis were impounded by the City of Cape Town, which resulted in the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) halting its services in the province.
Five people died as a result of the violence that erupted during the strike and 25 buses from the Golden Arrow Bus Services were damaged. Hundreds of commuters were left stranded.
In a statement on Wednesday, ActionSA called on Ramaphosa to show leadership and add his voice to the calls for calm, reason and peace in Western Cape.
“We call on the minister of transport, as well as the taxi associations, to respect the rule of law … Where they believe the City of Cape Town’s by-laws exceed the parameters set by national legislation, to approach the courts to have those by-laws reviewed and set aside.
“ActionSA calls on the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town to return to negotiations and to stay at the negotiation table until the conflict is resolved. From local government to the world stage, it is during situations of conflict and violence that negotiation and conflict resolution are most essential,” said Action SA.
Santaco provincial chairperson Mandla Hermanus said he is not certain whether taxis will be back on the roads on Thursday as previously communicated.
“We have this threat that is hovering over our heads that when we go back to operations, 25 vehicles will be impounded for every bus or car that was stoned or damaged. So, we don’t want to send our operators into a lion’s den,” he said.
He also noted that operators feared having even more taxis impounded should they return to the roads on Thursday if no agreement has been brokered between the City of Cape Town and the province.
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