His aim is to create awareness about the importance of transport in the economy and to encourage participation in the provincial taxi lekgotla scheduled to take place in Worcester and Cape Town next week.
Western Cape Transport MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela in Paarl at the Drakenstein Municipality on Wednesday 7 October 2020. Picture: @MadikizelaBongz/Twitter
CAPE TOWN – Transport MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela on Wednesday visited taxi ranks in Ceres and Paarl where a high number of violent incidents involving rival taxi associations have been reported.
His aim is to create awareness about the importance of transport in the economy and to encourage participation in the provincial taxi lekgotla scheduled to take place in Worcester and Cape Town next week.
Other parts of the province affected by deadly taxi violence include Bellville, Hout Bay, Masiphumelele and Delft.
Madikizela is unpacking resolutions that have been adopted during engagements with industry leaders as he continues to fight to end taxi violence and killings across the province.
He addressed a crowd at the Ceres Taxi Rank earlier on Wednesday and visited the Paarl rank later in the afternoon.
“We need to find a solution by sitting down together.”
Since January, the provincial Transport Department has recorded more than 60 taxi-related murders, with issues around operating licences and routes appear to be fuelling the violence.
The fatalities include taxi operators, drivers and passengers.
Madikizela warned he would not hesitate to invoke powers assigned to him in the National Land Transport Act to close ranks or routes if the violence and killing did not stop.
