Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Western Cape High Court granted an interim order against the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) on Sunday to stop attacks against Golden Arrow Bus Services.
In an urgent application, Judge Patrick Gamble ordered Santaco and its members to ensure Golden Arrow and its passengers are not intimidated, threatened, or harassed.
The order came into effect immediately after brief proceedings which began at 12:30.
Golden Arrow chairperson Yunis Shaik said since the stayaway began, the company had lost six buses, each worth millions, due to arson attacks.
“Almost invariably what happens whenever there is a taxi demonstration, almost immediately fire is set to buses or trains, whichever is the alternate mode of transportation,” added Shaik outside court.
“Now it’s not a coincidence, it cannot be a coincidence when this happens time and time again.”
Shaik added:
He said operations would run as normal with police escorts to keep commuters safe.
“We have also taken extraordinary measures to ensure that our buses will not be attacked.
“In addition, we’ve got cameras on our buses and around our buses that will clearly identify and prove whomsoever it is who dares to attack a bus, they will be caught on camera doing that.
“That will be all part of the measures we take to prove who is behind the violence.”
The order applies to Santaco and its affiliates – the Cape Organisation of Democratic Taxi Association, Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association, Boland Taxi Association, Greater Cape Town Taxi Association, Mitchells Plain Taxi Association, Two Oceans Taxi Association, Northern Regions Taxi Association and 158 local taxi associations affiliated with the above associations.
The order states they are interdicted from intimidating, harassing or in any way interfering with Golden Arrow’s operations throughout the Cape Town metropole.
Santaco and the taxi groupings are to take reasonable steps to ensure damage is not caused to Golden Arrow’s property, including its individual minibus taxi operators or licence holders.
It was also ordered to publish a statement by 16:00 on Sunday, in which it commits itself and its affiliates to the peaceful handling of their dispute with the City of Cape Town, and it should condemn violence associated with the 3 August taxi stayaway.
At 15:28, Santaco released a statement, saying it would adhere to these commitments, with the preface it was not a statement of liability for the violence and arson attacks.
In it, it stated it was committed to peacefully advancing the interests of the minibus taxi industry in the Cape metropole and Western Cape.
Santaco also condemn the violence associated with the stayaway and called on its members and affiliates to refrain from unlawful conduct, and to advance their interests peacefully.
Speaking after the application, Santaco’s counsel, advocate Morne Basson, said: “We can assure the general public that Santaco is trying their very best to try and mediate the situation.
“The unrest and the damage that occurred, and unfortunately the one person that passed away, is of great concern to the organisation which regrets what happened.
“So, the issue here is not whether Santaco was the perpetrators, which we deny, they are not the perpetrators.
“But obviously protesters came into the mix, so we agreed to an interdict for the greater good to assure and show the public in Cape Town that we are committed to the interests of the individual who needs to get to work and … live their lives.
“So, this is of great concern to us as an organisation and also to the court who heard us.”
Basson added taxi operators had a deal with the City of Cape Town that they would not impound taxis in line with certain by-laws.
He said although the City insisted it was enforcing national legislation, not by-laws, there were public statements by the City contradicting this.
Basson added, for example, the City said a taxi would be impounded for reckless driving and it would not be handed back to its owner until the driver’s criminal case had been concluded.
He said this would result in the loss of an income for about two years calculated at the current pace of court cases.
On Thursday, Santaco’s affiliates withdrew their services, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
Since then, widespread incidents of stone throwing and arson have been reported.
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