Cape Town - A leaked audio recording has exposed the City of Cape Town’s aggressive taxi impoundment targets, igniting a spark between City officials and taxi associations.
More than 1 300 vehicles were impounded for operating without operating licences (OLs) or for using routes not specified on their OL in July.
The one-minute audio clip reportedly features Petrus Roberts, the commissioner for public safety and operational co-ordination, speaking during a weekly safety and security management meeting.
In the recording, Roberts discusses performance targets, saying various entities monitor statistics regarding taxi impoundments every day. He reviews the statistics for each department concerning the number of vehicles they have impounded, and targets.
Roberts mentioned that the mayor, mayoral committee (mayco) member for safety and security, and the provincial MiniBus Taxi Task Team are all reviewing the statistics.
The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has labelled the contents of the leaked recording as a scheme by the City to generate revenue.
Chairperson Mandla Hermanus said: “They want to take as much money out of the industry before these OLs are granted. This is a money-making scheme. This is confirmed by a recording that is circulating, of a senior traffic official chastising junior officials who are not meeting their impoundment targets.
“The City is aware that the new routes have only been gazetted on 4 October, a process that will result in associations receiving OLs for approved routes that had been long outstanding for legalisation.”
Nkululeko Sityebi, spokesperson for the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata), said the City’s intentions are “evident”, along with the standards set for the number of taxis to be impounded.
“As Cata leadership, we are busy looking at all solutions and avenues to help us in this predicament that we are facing as a taxi industry,” he said,
Safety and security mayco member, JP Smith, said that performance targets are standard in any professional setting, including enforcement services.
He said the City receives a number of complaints each day from residents regarding the driving behaviour of minibus taxi drivers, and they are required to take appropriate action.
“It must be noted that the City is only impounding in line with the Taxi Task Team agreement, where taxis are in contravention of the law, and to ensure there is a consequence for their continued disregard of the law,” Smith said.
On Tuesday, 33 minibus taxis were impounded in the Wetton area.
Smith pointed out that enforcement management meetings, similar to those with SAPS, are confidential, and recording or sharing audio from these meetings violates employment agreements. Hermanus said the City aims to gain public support for the amended by-laws, which intend to reintroduce impoundments for poor driver behaviour.
“He (JP) will promote a narrative that says the current impoundment regime is not working, hence the need to introduce impoundments for moving violations through the by-laws,” he said.
Hermanus advocates for a more constructive approach to modifying driver behaviour, suggesting it would be more effective.