GEORGE NEWS - A number of minibus taxis have been impounded in George since mid-February as authorities clamp down on illegal operators.
The George Herald was told that 40 taxis from Thembalethu were impounded during two operations held by the local traffic authorities and the police.
This led to several commuters being stranded during the second operation at the four way stop in Thembalethu and near Lawaaikamp on Tuesday 27 February, when taxi drivers stopped making trips for fear of being impounded.
The Uncedo Taxi Association in Thembalethu is concerned by the ongoing roadblocks, which are jointly conducted by the local and provincial traffic departments and the police.
Uncedo chairperson Welele Mbudede said the industry fears that the local authorities are conducting these operations with the aim of taking taxis off the road completely.
More than 40 taxis have been impounded so far, with the reduced number of taxis in Thembalethu badly affecting commuters, as taxis are the only public transport in Thembalethu.
"We have a problem with government and the local authorities. We feel they are deliberately targeting us in these operations. They impound our taxis because they don't have permits and are not roadworthy, while they themselves delay the process of issuing permits to us.
"We apply for permits, but they don't issue us with permits. Even when we want to renew our permits we don't get assistance. They take their time to get back to us and eventually our permits expire," he said.
According to Mbudede, the taxi industry in George is dwindling and they can't employ as many people as they would like to.
"We spend between R2 500 and R7 000 for the release of our taxis from the pound. This is a lot of money, considering we still have to pay drivers, service our cars, pay our cars' monthly instalments and keep up with the ever-raising cost of petrol prices. We don't see ourselves going forward," he said.
"It is very strange that government encourages entrepreneurship but the very same government is sabotaging the efforts of people starting businesses instead of them sitting down with us and finding amicable solutions to the matter."
Uncedo only wants the local authorities to "treat them like humans" and "respect business people", not prosecute them like drug lords or criminals.
"We don't know what they want from us. We don't know if this is related to the GO GEORGE bus service which is set to operate in Thembalethu. We sat in meetings with local authorities, but the result of the meetings is more promises instead of practical solutions."
He said they had an agreement with the local authorities not to conduct road blocks in the mornings as this prevents people from getting to work on time, and people lose their jobs as a result.
Ongoing operations
Replying to George Herald's media inquiry, George municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said there have been ongoing operations in George over an extended period.
As per relevant legislation, the law enforcement bodies focus on various operations which include road safety, roadworthiness, general crime prevention, speed enforcement and others.
She said, "Law enforcement operations are a daily occurrence and form a part of the normal activities of the provincial, municipal, traffic and South African police. An integrated approach is always followed and the focus remains general, i.e. with a view to expose criminality where it is observed."
She added that vehicles that are impounded as per legislation prescripts are dealt with in accordance with the NLTA (National Land Transport Act) and related legislation.
"The municipality does not possess any impounding facilities and the management of such a pound lies with the provincial department of transport."
Edwards-Klose disputed the allegations that the municipality and government want to take taxis completely off the road. "It is part of the daily duties of enforcement officials to enforce the law in its current form. Operations take place daily, concentrating on different aspects of law enforcement.
"Any vehicles that are found to be operating in contravention of legislation will be dealt with. Traffic officers are empowered by legislation to enforce the relevant Acts as they stand."
She also confirmed that a council resolution that places a moratorium on the issuing of new taxi permits has been in place since 2009, with the local associations aware of this.
However, she said, the issuing of permits is not done by either the municipal or provincial traffic departments, but are processed by the Operating Licencing Board.
The department of transport in the Western Cape did not respond to our queries.
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