Correction of misinformation: Taxis are impounded under National Land Transport Act
08 August 2023
Following the misinformation conveyed in a press conference by the National Transport Minister today, the City of Cape Town can confirm that all taxi impoundments in the metro are for offences under the National Land Transport Act (NLTA). Not a single taxi is impounded under the City’s by-laws as falsely claimed by the Minister.
The City of Cape Town will uphold the rule of law at all times without fear or favour. The City will always act in the interests of commuter safety, including impounding public vehicles for offences under the National Land Transport Act.
'Rather than "defining itself outside of national laws" as claimed by the Minister, Cape Town will continue to stand out as an example of a city actually implementing the national laws of the land. We will never compromise commuter safety by turning a blind eye to offences on our roads.
'In Cape Town, violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call on SANTACO to return peacefully to the negotiation table,' said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The City's Traffic By-Law was recently amended to extend impoundments to private vehicles for a range of serious offences. All public vehicles continue to be dealt with under the NLTA as always.
'The National Land Transport Act was introduced by national government to regulate public transport. It is not City legislation, and so the Minister's demand that we release taxis falls foul of the very legislation that national government introduced. In Cape Town, we amended our Traffic by-law to bring equality to impoundments, so that we can also hold private vehicle owners accountable for serious driving offences that place lives at risk. The Safety and Security Directorate has had many meaningful engagements with the taxi industry over the years, and will continue to do so, but not until there is a complete cessation of violence,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
