Santaco holds key talks with Western Cape taxi associations over violence

These engagements follow deeply concerning incidents of violence in the province and the tragic loss of lives. The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco)’s President, Abnar Tsebe, plans to meet today with the leadership of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) and the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) in the Western Cape. These engagements come following deeply concerning incidents of violence in the province and the tragic loss of lives reportedly associated with the ongoing tensions at taxi ranks. ‘Grave concern’ The Santaco National Office said that they view these developments with grave concern and believe that every effort must be made to restore calm, protect lives and safeguard the interests of commuters, operators and the broader public. According to Santaco’s National spokesperson, Mmatshikhidi Rebecca, the delegation intends to listen to all parties, gain a clearer understanding of the issues underlying the tensions, and collectively explore practical and sustainable solutions towards lasting peace. Santaco reiterated that disagreements within the industry must be resolved through constructive engagement, established organisational processes and lawful mechanisms, rather than violence and intimidation. ‘Protection of human life’ “The protection of human life must remain paramount,” Phala said. “No route, operating interest, or organisational disagreement should ever cost a person their life or compromise the safety of innocent commuters and communities,” she emphasised. “The National Office is approaching these engagements in a spirit of dialogue, responsibility and unity, with the hope of facilitating meaningful progress towards restoring stability in the Western Cape taxi industry,” Phala added.