Cape Town - In what has literally cost blood and sweat, the B97 minibus-taxi route between Bellville and Mbekweni in Paarl, has finally been reopened.
Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell officially opened the contentious route at the Mbekweni Taxi Rank on Thursday, after it had been closed for more than a year.
This was due to the taxi associations, Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) and Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association’s (Cata) deadly impasse over control of the route.
The violent conflict resulted in nearly 100 lives being lost, as both taxi associations claimed ownership.
During the event on Thursday, Mitchell issued new operating licences to taxi operators in order to create a balance between the demand and supply of taxis.
To minimise disruptions to travel patterns, Mitchell authorised Golden Arrow Bus Services to run in parallel with the taxi services, until all valid tickets have been used.
“The decision to reopen the route follows the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Cata Boland Taxi Association and the Paarl Alliance Taxi Association, affiliated to Codeta,” said Mitchell.
“The associations have agreed to co-exist and to jointly provide the services authorised by their operating licences.
It is important to note that most longstanding agreements are reached by consensus between the parties, and not when conditions are imposed by the government.”
He said the Drakenstein Municipality and the City of Cape Town have agreed to support additional operating licence applications.
The department said it would continue to monitor the route in partnership with local government, and intervene if necessary in the interests of commuter safety.
Cata and Codeta leaders apologised to families of the people killed during the conflict.
South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) provincial chairperson Mandla Hermanus said: “We welcome the re-opening of the route between Mbekweni and Bellville.
We, as Santaco, will assist the two associations to monitor operations in that area to ensure compliance, and to ensure there are no illegal operators.”
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula launched the 2022 Festive Season Road Safety Arrive Alive Campaign on Thursday under the theme “It Starts with You”.
This year marks the first year of normal activity since the declaration of the state of national disaster due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Interventions include the deployment of new technology, called the e-force.
“If we are to achieve our target of reducing carnage on our roads by 25% by March 31, 2024, road users must change their behaviour and attitude,” said Mbalula.
“Law enforcers must do their work without fear or favour and road authorities must create a conductive environment to improve safety.
“The e-force will enable our officers to prosecute more traffic offenders, as it enables them to identify drivers and ownership of vehicles by scanning the drivers’ licenses and vehicle discs.”
Cape Times