Commuters were left stranded today after members of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) downed tools and marched to the Nyanga Police Station to hand over a memorandum outlining their grievances.
Among their demands is a speedy investigation into minibus taxis that were set alight on Friday, 7 March. The association members accused one of their own of being behind the killings and the torching of vehicles
Police response to the Nyanga taxi Shutdown
The memorandum was accepted by Lt-Col Mzikayise Ndzuzo on behalf of the acting station commander, Wynand Muller. Ndzuzo said the memorandum will be forwarded to his superiors and assured that a response will be provided within seven days.
However, Ndzuzo urged taxi owners to assist police with relevant information regarding the torching of their vehicles.
“We are asking you, the association members, to assist us with information. We went there when the taxis were set alight, but no one wanted to talk to us. We opened the case on our own,” said Ndzuzo.
CATA demands police action after vehicle torchings
CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi apologised to commuters for the inconvenience caused. However, he said the march to the police station was necessary to express their frustration.
“It has come to our attention that we need to prioritise safety. That is why we decided to shut down the Nyanga Taxi Rank. Our taxis are being torched. Our taxi drivers and executive members are being killed. In February last year, more than 15 taxis were torched at the taxi rank,” said Sityebi.
He added that the killing of their members must come to an end. Sityebi did not provide a timeline for when the taxis would return to service.
Commuters struggle amid Nyanga taxi shutdown
Commuter Andile Matutu said he was unable to go to work because of the taxi shutdown.
“I didn’t know that the taxis were going to march to the police station today. When I arrived at Nyanga Terminus, I saw people standing in long queues waiting for Golden Arrow buses. I was already late, and the bus would have taken a long time to get me to work. I phoned my boss and told him that I wouldn’t be coming in today,” he said, adding that he would try to make other plans for tomorrow.
