4 Uncedo taxi permits surrendered

GEORGE NEWS - The first four of the 38 George Uncedo Taxi Association operating licences that must be surrendered to the Western Cape Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) were handed in by Tuesday 28 February.

This follows Uncedo's unsuccessful appeal against the initial ruling of the PRE tribunal concluded on Friday 9 September 2016, in which one operating licence was cancelled, 18 licences suspended for 6 months, a further 18 for 12 months and one operating licence for 18 months.

Byron la Hoe, spokesperson for the department of transport, confirmed that notices to surrender the operating licences were sent to the legal representatives of the Uncedo operators as well as to the e-mail address of Uncedo: George Association on Friday 24 February.

"The operating licences have to be submitted within 21 calendar days of the date on which the notices were issued. Friday 17 March 2017 is the deadline."

All the operating licences affected will be suspended in the Land Transport Permit System after Friday 17 March. In essence, these operating licences will be invalidated and the provision of public transport services will constitute an offence in terms of the National Land Transport Act.

The NLTA allows an authorised officer to impound a vehicle where a public transport service is provided without an operating licence or contrary to the conditions thereof.

The tribunal was held following the violent protest action that took place in George on 19 August 2015, when roads were barricaded, road infrastructure damaged and GO GEORGE buses set alight. Forty operating licences were initially cited as part of the inquiry.

After numerous attempts, Zakes Mchitwa, chairperson of Uncedo in George, could not be reached for comment.

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