Minister Madikizela to meet taxi industry leaders following Bellville shooting | Western Cape Government

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Minister Madikizela to meet taxi industry leaders following Bellville shooting

16 August 2020

Taxi murders: Minister Madikizela to meet taxi industry leaders following Bellville shooting

I strongly condemn the recent shooting incident at the Bellville Taxi rank. It is understood that one passenger was killed and two seriously injured. 

I send sincere condolences to the family of the victim and call on the SAPS to bring the shooters to book as speedily as possible.

The incident late on Friday afternoon follows weeks of escalating tensions and violent conflict between rival associations aligned to CATA and Codeta.

I will be meeting taxi industry leaders again tomorrow (Monday) to address the conflict between their members. I also called an urgent meeting with officials from my Department, together with the City of Cape Town to discuss measures to be taken to ensure the safety of commuters at the Bellville and other taxi ranks where CATA and Codeta are fighting for control over routes.

Measures to be taken may include the closure of certain ranks and routes as a last resort if it is assessed that the lives of passengers or members of the public who are meant to be served by these taxi operators may be further endangered as a result of the ongoing conflict. 

I will also be calling on all municipalities to take back control of management and security at municipal ranks and facilities from associations and motherbodies who use their position of power at these facilities to collect ‘taxes’ from legal as well as illegal taxi operators and hawkers. I will be requesting the City of Cape Town to implement improved security measures and systems for identifying legal taxis and access control measures that will ensure that illegally operating taxis are not allowed to forcefully infiltrate ranks for which they do not have valid operating licences to operate from.          

Seven suspects have been arrested for the Bellville shooting. While I commend the SAPS for the steady progress made with investigations into taxi related crimes and several arrests of gunmen involved in an earlier shooting incident at the Bellville rank, I asked the SAPS to focus on bringing to book the ‘paymasters’ who plan and orchestrate the violent crimes that impact on innocent passengers and citizens. 

I also instructed my Department’s Public Transport Inspectorate to coordinate efforts with the SAPS and municipal traffic authorities to proactively identify illegally operating taxis so as to restore law and order on conflict-ridden routes and ranks.   

Media Enquiries: 

Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka
Spokesperson for Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela
Tel: 021 483 8067
Cell: 082 953 0026
Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za