Mobility

Reply:

1. Prior to the reopening of the B97 (Mbekweni – Paarl – Bellville) minibus-taxi route, the Department of Transport and Public Works invested a considerable amount of time, resources, and funding into mediation efforts between the Paarl Alliance Taxi Association (affiliated to CODETA) and the Boland Taxi Association (affiliated to CATA).  The mentioned Associations have been embroiled in violent conflict for many years regarding control of the B97 route.  This mediation work resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the two Associations.  Both Associations have given an undertaking to co-exist and to respect each other’s operating rights. The Department also engaged both the City of Cape Town and Drakenstein Municipality to investigate the balance between supply and demand on the B97 taxi route.  This resulted in the issuance of some 50 minibus-taxi operating licences conferring authority to provide services on route B97.

Since the reopening of the route in December 2022, departmental officials have closely monitored operations on route B97.  Regular engagements have taken place with the affected associations and the Western Cape Branch of the South African National Taxi Council.  Several route and rank inspections have been done and we can report that the Associations are co-existing and providing the service jointly.  A gap-gap system has been implemented.  This effectively means that two vehicles from one Association may not load consecutively, and rank marshals have been appointed by both Associations to monitor proceedings.  No incidents of taxi violence between the two Associations have been reported.

The Department has received reports from Law Enforcement Agencies and the South African Police Services of tension between members of the taxi industry and Golden Arrow Bus Services.  It has been submitted that taxi drivers are intimidating Golden Arrow drivers and preventing them from loading passengers on Jan Van Riebeeck Road opposite Mbekweni.  The Taxi Associations claim that GABS, who provided the replacement service while

route B97 was closed for minibus-taxi operations, should no longer be operating in the area following the reopening of the taxi route.  GABS is currently providing a service from Wellington/Paarl/Mbekweni to Cape Town (via Bellville).  GABS maintain that they were providing this service before the closure of route B97.  Discussions have taken place with both the taxi industry and GABS and the industry has been cautioned to refrain from any acts of intimidation or subjugation.

(2)  (a)  There are currently two Western Cape government officials serving on

 the National Taxi Task Team

(b)  (i)  Three meetings were held over the last twelve months.

(ii)  The National Department of Transport was tasked with the drafting 

of a report outlining key resolutions adopted during the National Taxi Lekgotla that was held in Johannesburg in October 2020.  While provinces were requested to provide inputs during the process of drafting the report, the consolidated draft report that was submitted to the Minister for approval, was not shared with provincial departments.

The National Department of Transport has also been tasked with ensuring that the resolutions are implemented.  Many of the adopted resolutions fall outside of the scope and function of regulatory stakeholders (within the various spheres of government), which necessitated the need to co-opt other government departments onto the task team to ensure a co-ordinated and consolidated national approach.  The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the South African Revenue Services and the Department of Labour are among the national departments that have been co-opted. 

The primary focus of the Task Team is to solicit inputs from Departments and regulatory stakeholders regarding the implementation of the resolutions. Following this, the National Department of Transport