2021 Cape Town taxi conflict explained

2021 Cape Town taxi conflict
Partof:Taxi wars in South Africa
Location:multiple locations across the City of Cape Town, South Africa
Target:Minibus taxi drivers
Date:January 2021 - August 2021
Fatalities:83[1]
Injuries:multiple
Victims:Taxi operators, drivers, commuters, pedestrians, and regular bus drivers.
Perpetrator:-->
Perps:or
Perp:-->
Assailant:-->
Weapons:various firearms
Numpart:-->
Dfen:-->
Motive:Conflict between minibus taxi operators Cata and Codeta for control over lucrative taxi routes

The 2021 Cape Town taxi conflict was a violent turf war between the minibus taxi operators Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) over lucrative taxi routes in Cape Town, South Africa.[2] [3] [4] [5] The conflict was part of a long running series of conflicts that are part of the ongoing taxi wars in South Africa.

The conflict picked up in intensity in July 2021 over the B97 taxi route between Bellville and Paarl. The spike in taxi violence resulted in thousands of people being unable to get to their jobs resulting in pay cuts, job losses and economic hardship.[6] [7] Western Cape Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell stated that 22 murders and 29 attempted murders resulting from taxi violence were recorded between the start of July and 16 July 2021.[8] [9] As of 23 July 2021 a total of 83 taxi conflict related deaths in the Western Cape were recorded since the start of 2021.[1] A total of 24 people had died in the conflict in the month of July 2021.[10]

In response to the violence the Western Cape provincial government temporarily closed the B97 taxi route for two months[11] in an effort to prevent further violence.[1] South African National Defence Force personnel were deployed alongside South African Police Service personnel to help secure affected transport routes.[12]

The July spike in violence coincided with large scale rioting in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.[13]

On 2 August both CATA and CODETA met with national Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to mediate an end to the conflict[14] after which Mbalula announced that a truce agreement had been reached.[15] The agreement stipulated that should violence breakout again then all effected mini-bus taxi routes would be closed for a period to be determined by the Department of Transport.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mutele . Gladys . WC Transport MEC shuts major CT taxi route over violence . 2021-07-26 . ewn.co.za . en.
  2. Web site: Payne . Suné . 2021-07-23 . ACTION PLAN: Route at heart of Cape Town’s taxi violence eruption to be closed for two months . 2021-07-26 . Daily Maverick . en.
  3. Web site: Premier Alan Winde: Ongoing taxi violence in Cape Town . South African Government . 2021-07-26 . www.gov.za.
  4. Web site: Davis . Rebecca . 2021-07-20 . EXPLAINER: Why the Western Cape is being rocked by taxi violence . 2021-07-26 . Daily Maverick . en.
  5. Web site: Hendricks . Ashraf . Lali . Vincent . 21 July 2021 . When will the taxi violence end, asks Cape Town commuter desperate to get to work . 2021-07-26 . News24 . en-US.
  6. Web site: Solomons . Lisalee . Mthethwa . Cebelihle . 22 July 2021 . Western Cape commuters fear pay cuts and job losses following ongoing taxi strike . 2021-07-26 . News24 . en-US.
  7. Web site: Hendricks . Ashraf . Human . Liezl . Washinyira . Tariro . 2021-08-03 . Commuters, small businesses paying the price for Cape Town’s taxi violence . 2021-08-03 . Moneyweb . en.
  8. Web site: Payne . Suné . 2021-07-16 . Taxi Wars: Mbalula calls for ceasefire as high-level meeting convenes over taxi violence in Cape Town . 2021-07-26 . Daily Maverick . en.
  9. Web site: Palm . Kaylynn . 17 July 2021 . 22 killed in July as Western Cape taxi violence continues . 2021-07-26 . ewn.co.za . en.
  10. Web site: Stoltz . Eunice . 2021-08-02 . Rivals agree on new measures to end Cape Town taxi dispute . 2021-08-03 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
  11. Web site: Stoltz . Eunice . 2021-07-23 . Western Cape closes roads to end deadly taxi violence . 2021-08-03 . The Mail & Guardian . en-ZA.
  12. Web site: More soldiers deployed to end Cape Town taxi wars . 2021-07-26 . www.enca.com . en.
  13. News: Hyman . Aron . 14 July 2021 . Flare-up in taxi war sparks looting alarm in Cape Town city centre . en-ZA . TimesLIVE . 2021-07-26.
  14. Web site: Cape Town taxi associations reach agreement. live. 2021-08-03. www.enca.com. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802170100/https://www.enca.com/news/deal-struck-between-taxi-associations-cape-town . August 2, 2021 .
  15. Web site: Charles . Marvin . 2 August 2021 . Deal struck between Cape taxi associations after weeks of violence . 2021-08-03 . News24 . en-US.

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