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Taxi drivers hoot the horn after City of Cape Town launches multipronged crackdown in Philippi

Taxi drivers hoot the horn after City of Cape Town launches multipronged crackdown in Philippi
A taxi is impounded during a joint operation in Philipp which sought to clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles and taxis. A number of Avanza's were impounded and drivers arrested for not having licenses and permits for transporting school children. According to the Metro Police chief, two guns were also found on two vehicles. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)
Velani Ludidi
By Velani Ludidi
13 Oct 2022
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Taxi drivers claim that the City of Cape Town is starting a ‘war’ against them after a major crackdown by law enforcement agencies on Thursday.

City of Cape Town law enforcement officers impounded 43 vehicles and issued 1,087 fines to the value of R820,000 during Thursday’s crackdown in Philippi — the fourth day of a five-day operation. One person was arrested for the possession of an illegal firearm and another for being in possession of a fraudulent driving licence.

“What have we done?” asked one driver. “We are trying to work and we are being stopped by the officials while the real criminals are roaming freely inside Marikana [informal settlement].” 

Other drivers returned to their bases immediately when they realised that there was a heavy police presence. The operation covered all exit points in Philippi. Buses did not use their usual pick-up points but were picking up commuters in front of the police station as a precaution. 

School children are removed from their scholar transport taxi, which was impounded by traffic officers in Philippi. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)



A child looks on during a joint operation by law enforcement officers to clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles and taxis. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)



“We are soft targets for JP [Smith, Mayco member for safety and security],” said another driver. “You will never see a Golden Arrow bus being stopped. We are not even subsidised by the government, yet we are subjected to this treatment. We will fight this.” 

Thursday’s operation was the second day during which the multipronged operation focused on vehicles, especially minibus taxis and Toyota Avanzas, also known as amaphela. 

“Of course the affected taxi associations are angry, but just as angry are the poor residents of Philippi East who have been forced to live with this criminal conduct for far too long,” said Smith. 

On Wednesday, hundreds of law enforcement officers descended on Philippi East in a joint operation. Spearheaded by the City of Cape Town, it was the biggest law enforcement operation in the area. 



During Thursday’s operation, the officials braved the chilly morning weather and began as early as 4am, when most people either start preparing for work or heading out to catch taxis. 

Schoolchildren and other commuters were delayed as almost every Toyota Avanza and minibus taxi coming out of Nyanga was stopped. 

Scholar transport was not spared, and at times, pupils were removed from vehicles and taken to other ones. 



“This might be for our own good, but now we will be late for work and stand to get fired,” said Nobuzwe Woko. “Many people had to walk long distances to find transport and we run the risk of being robbed.” 

Smith told Daily Maverick that amaphelas feature prominently in most of the crimes reported in the area. 

“The extortion syndicates plaguing the Philippi East residents are closely linked to the same taxi extortion rackets who daily hijack e-hailing and goods-delivering vehicles that are then held hostage in the area until a ransom is paid.” 

Planning papers seen by Daily Maverick showed that the operation will be carried out for five full days. Day one included a clean-up operation and electricity inspection teams identifying illegal connections. During day two, there was a communication awareness operation within Marikana led by the Safety and Security Department. 

A taxi is impounded by traffic officers in Philippi. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)



A taxi is impounded during a joint operation in Philippi to clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles and taxis. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)





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Marikana is privately owned land and the area is not electrified, which has led many residents to connect electricity illegally. This is despite the fact that the Cape Town High Court ordered the City of Cape Town to negotiate the purchase of the land on which Marikana residents built. 

The land was occupied in 2013 by residents from the Cape Flats who mostly said they struggled with rent and needed a place to live. 

The City tried in vain to evict the first people who occupied the land as they kept on rebuilding, and various organisations represented the occupiers in court. Now the area is estimated to be home to more than 60,000 people. 

Marikana is considered to be the city’s biggest contributor to contact crimes. 

The Mayoral Committee member for human settlements, Malusi Booi, said the City was still in the process of purchasing the pockets of land as ordered by the court, but there were stumbling blocks. 

“The challenge is that the parcel [of land] has multiple owners. Some of them are represented by lawyers, others are not even in the country. We are still committed to following the court order.” 

The crime prevention operation will continue during Friday, 14 October, but Smith sent a strong message to the drivers that more is yet to come. 

“We will continue fighting for these residents and all other communities that have been held hostage for far too long,” he said. DM

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