Uneasy truce: Cape taxi associations agree to ‘immediate ceasefire’ after seven drivers shot dead

A day after a spate of shootings resulted in the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) halting their operations on Wednesday, the two associations have agreed to a ceasefire.

On Wednesday taxi-related shootings occurred in Philippi, Ravensmead, Du Noon and Samora Machel. Seven taxi drivers were shot dead.

Earlier, in response to the shootings, Cata and Codeta had said their taxis would not be operating because they could not guarantee the safety of their drivers.

Communities were also affected by the violence.

An empty Bellville taxi rank on Thursday after gun violence across Cape Town left seven taxi drivers dead. Rival taxi organisations Cata and Codeta have decided to halt operations for two days, leaving commuters stranded. (Photograph: Xabiso Mkhabela)

“Many people are panicking and struggling to get to work. I’m off today, but I’m stressed just thinking about how I’ll get to work when I do my shift on Saturday,” said Mangaliso Gqoloda, a Philippi community leader.

Gqoloda, who works in Mitchells Plain, said he usually catches a bus to work and comes home by taxi. “I have no idea how I will get home if there still aren’t any taxis by Saturday,” said Gqoloda.

Following the shootings, Daylin Mitchell, Western Cape MEC for transport and public works, called for an urgent meeting with Cata, Codeta and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).

Mitchell said Cata and Codeta had agreed to several conditions during Thursday’s meeting, including:

• Ensuring that taxi transport operations will be fully functional as from Friday, 9 July 2021;


• An immediate ceasefire and halting all forms of violence and destabilisation;


• Committing to consult their constituencies and leadership to find options to resolve the issue of routes in Paarl in the interim, while awaiting the outcome of the arbitration process which is already under way. Mitchell gave an undertaking that the provincial government would expedite the outcome of this arbitration process; and


• A pledge for peace that secures lives and livelihoods will be signed by both Cata and Codeta as a public acknowledgement of their commitment to peaceful engagements and to ensuring a safe and reliable transport system.

Speaking to Daily Maverick before the meeting, Nazeem Abdurahman, Santaco’s Western Cape chairperson, said that “this is old conflict, it’s not new conflict. It’s about route invasions and recruitment of members and yesterday (Wednesday) it reached a boiling point in certain areas”.

Abdurahman said the killings were “unfair” and “unnecessary”.

In a statement released by Cata, the government was urged “to take every step possible to prevent further bloodshed and restore calm”. It said that in Cata’s view, the cause of the recent violence had “everything to do with the violent uprooting of Cata Boland in Paarl by the Codeta-aligned Paarl Alliance”.

According to a statement from Mitchell, the recent shootings brought the number of taxi-related murders in the Western Cape to 71 in 2021, and 33 attempted murders and injuries over the same period. DM