Cape Town - Taxi operators along the Knysna and Plettenberg Bay routes aired their frustrations at the doorstep of the provincial Mobility Department in Athlone on Monday after they were not granted permissions for association name changes.
A large contingent of the long-distance drivers and taxi bosses, affiliated to mother body taxi association Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), gathered at the Western Cape Department of Mobility office in Vanguard to hand over a petition against what they labelled bias and inefficacy by the department.
General secretary of Codeta, Nceba Engel, said they had not been told what the reason for the rejection was.
“We have two associations affiliated with Codeta, namely Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
“Since they have been affiliated with Codeta, they wanted a name change to Codeta Knysna Taxi Association and Codeta Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association.
“But the challenge is that (Mr Isaacs at WCG Mobility Department) does not grant them the permission to do so.
“Yet there are other associations who have been granted permission to do so – namely Mossel Bay and Witzenberg in Ceres.
“They were granted these name changes, but to date we have no answers on why the name change cannot be done for these two associations.
“Even the northern region, which is Belhar, was given the go-ahead in terms of the name change.
“We have written several letters but had no response, which resulted in the strike action,” said Engel.
The petition read: “This petition is brought as a formal complaint against the unreasonable delay caused by the department in processing applications for name changes submitted by the Plettenberg Bay Taxi Association and Knysna Taxi Association.
“The impugned applications were submitted ... during the years 2020 and 2022 respectively. After a period in excess of 12 months lapsed without any positive response ... the two associations with the assistance of Codeta requested a meeting (with the department).
It follows that the delay in processing the applications, without any explanation as to the possible cause of the delay, is unreasonable and highly prejudicial to the associations as it tramples on their constitutional rights.”
Codeta asked for an expedited process so the name changes for the two taxi associations could be made.
Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said they had accepted the petition and would discuss it.
“Western Cape Mobility Department officials engaged the Codeta minibus taxi operators who gathered this morning at Vanguard.
“We accepted and acknowledged a petition from the group, who then dispersed peacefully. The contents of the petition are currently under discussion.”
Cape Times