Cape Town - The City is expected to meet the Hout Bay Taxi Association (HBTA)on Tuesday, following a violent taxi protest in the area on Monday.
Three MyCiTi buses were stoned in Imizamo Yethu, one of which was petrol bombed during the protest.
Police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd of taxi operators.
Hout Bay Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Anthony Chemaly said school children and residents who had to commute to work were the worst affected.
“The situation was and is unfortunate, particularly for the residents who couldn’t get to work, the kids who couldn’t attend schools and the stress and trauma for those caught in the tear gas and stones.
“The situation is now calm and the Hout Bay HBTA will meet with the City to resolve the issue, a meeting which they could have arranged without the violence,” Chemaly said.
It is understood that the protest related to compensation after the roll-out of phase 1 of the MyCiTi service.
Taxi drivers were allegedly promised to be paid a certain amount of money after the service was developed along their route back in 2009.
Hout Bay community activist and member of the taxi association, Samkelo Krweqe said the City had agreed that they would compensate them for introducing the MyCiTi buses along their route, but they never did.
“The protest, it’s all about the City not attending to the problems of the taxi association that is HBTA.
“The guys started some years ago when the City brought MyCiti into play and had meetings with the leadership of the association.
“They agreed they will compensate them for mounting their business on top of the route that we are using. But they never did.
Now, if you want to renew your permit they refuse the application. We used to have 84 permits but that has since declined to less than 20. There has been a lot of engagements but the City bullies their way as always,” he said.
City mayoral committee member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas said the matter was on the Western Cape High Court roll.
“It has been initiated by HBTA, and the City is awaiting the court’s ruling on this matter,” he said.
“The City has been engaging with HBTA since 2014 in respect of this process and will continue to do so.
“Any behaviour that results in learners and workers not being able to commute, as well residents feeling unsafe and being the victims of violence, and any damages to public or private property must be condemned for the thuggish and brutish activities that they are.”
Quintas said the suspension of MyCiTi and Dial-A-Ride services in Hout Bay had a direct impact on the livelihoods of commuters who depended on them.
“The City will continue to engage with the HBTA and will be meeting with the leadership from the community to find a solution. Law enforcement is currently working with other joint operational services to ensure access in and out of the area as far as possible,“ he said.
Cape Times