Cape Town – The Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis on Monday said the City will not negotiate with striking taxi operators given the ongoing acts of violence and intimidation.
“We will not negotiate with a (literal) gun to our heads,” said Mayor Hill-Lewis in his late afternoon update to residents.
“There can be no further discussions with local Santaco leadership until their violence stops. Simple. We call on Santaco to stop the violence immediately.”
The mayor said the rule of law is not up for negotiation.
“We cannot negotiate which portions of the law will apply to some people and not to others. This is not the way we will ever build a successful society in South Africa,” said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
“The law applies equally to everyone. We will apply the law without fear or favour.”
The mayor added: “We are protecting residents and commuters by opening roads, running buses with escorts, and arresting those perpetrators of violence.
“Our first priority is protecting residents from violent taxi thugs.”
Mayor Hill-Lewis said most road closures and blockages have been cleared very quickly, and traffic is free-flowing for the most part.
He said on Friday there was a productive meeting of City, Province and Santaco where constructive proposals were made and agreed to.
“On Saturday, Santaco made entirely new demands, and since then there has only been an escalation of violence. Santaco is free to end their strike and accept the terms of Fridays discussion at any time,” said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
“If Santaco does not choose to end their strike, then we will need to be prepared to stay the course. We are prepared to do so.
“As ever Im grateful for the many people from every neighbourhood and community who have been in contact constantly to reaffirm their support for doing what is right despite difficulty.”
Police in the Western Cape said a
number of shops were looted in Gugulethu and Khayelitsha amid the ongoing violence linked to the taxi strike.n
At least one person died in the chaos and several roads in Cape Town and surrounding areas have been closed.
Some healthcare facilities have been closed and commuters were left stranded.
Thousands of schoolchildren stayed away from school as a result of the violence that has seen buses being torched.
Meanwhile, the City’s traffic authorities continue to impound taxis that are found to be infringing road rules.
