TALKS TO STOP TAXI WAR

TAXI bosses have joined hands with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government to end the violence and resolve the dispute over the M18 route between Mfuleni and Somerset West.

The Mini-Bus Taxi Task Team (MBTTT) yesterday met to discuss the deadly conflict between the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) and the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata).

Since last Friday, when four people were killed and three injured after two unknown gunmen stormed a Codeta office at a taxi rank in Mfuleni, the feud has resulted in the deaths of seven taxi operators, with four more wounded, including an eight-year-old child and a commuter.

Yesterday, the task team, comprised of representatives from the City, the provincial government, and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) Western Cape, held a meeting at the Durbanville Conference Centre.

In a statement, the task team said: “We held a special meeting amid conflict that flared up between operators in Somerset West and Mfuleni in the past weeks.

“While the circumstances bringing the committee together are deeply troubling, the session proceeded with meaningful engagement, as the situation was reviewed from the historical context to where things stand today, and potential scenarios for a mutually agreeable and positive way forward.

“Resolving this complex matter is a process, and stakeholder representatives have committed to continued discussions to find a resolution as soon as possible over the next week.

“The immediate priority is to see services and calm restored in the Somerset West and Mfuleni precincts.”