Mobility
- What has been the impact of the leaked voice recording of the City of Cape Town meeting discussing impoundment targets on the stability of the Minibus Taxi Task Team, (b) what mechanisms are in place to prevent mass disruption if another strike were to happen, (c) what are the impound target numbers for the various departments and units, (d) what was used to determine these impound target numbers and (e) what is the reason behind having targets for impounding taxis?
- While I cannot speak on behalf of another sphere of government. I can report that the concern about the voice recording was raised at the Minibus Taxi Task Team (“Task Team”) meeting of 5 November 2024. The City of Cape Town (“the City”) responded to the issue by refuting the existence of targets specifically for the impoundment of mini-bus taxi industry. The City explained that the recording was taken out of context, as in any work environment, employees are subjected to performance targets as part of their employment contract. While SANTACO expressed their concerns about the negative impact of a perceived target-based approach to law enforcement, they continued to constructively participate in the meeting.
- The Task Team has been set up to monitor and manage any disruptions within the industry. After the August 2023 Stay-away, the Task Team terms of reference was amended to include a provision that requires the parties to follow an escalation procedure before taking any further steps. This procedure requires that a deadlock on any matter be escalated as follows:
- The deadlock must first be escalated to the Minister of Mobility (Province) and the Mayoral Committee Member: Urban Mobility and City Manager (City of Cape Town);
- If it cannot be resolved at that level after 2 business days then the matter will be escalated to the Premier of the Western Cape and the Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town;
- If it cannot be resolved at that level after 3 business days then matter must be referred to an external mediator.
The Task Team terms of reference was further updated to include a provision that requires SANTACO to provide the Province and the City with 36 hours written notice before embarking on a stay-away. This will allow the Province and the City to put in place the necessary safeguards to mitigate the impact of a stay-away on commuters, residents, road users and businesses.
(c) (d)(e)My Department does not have any impound targets and therefore the other questions are null and void.
Now, understandably, this is a topical issue and therefore want to caution Members from inciting unnecessary tensions between government and the industry. When such matters arise and partners are aggrieved by actions taken by government, we must find constructive means to resolve these as opposed to fuelling tensions.
