SANTACO calls on Gauteng govt to get house in order after Ekurhuleni taxi operations halted

JOHANNESBURG - Taxi operations in Ekurhuleni have come to a standstill, with the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) leaving commuters stranded.

The council said it was protesting the Department of Transport’s decision to impound its vehicles that were without operating licenses.

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The affected taxis are primarily in the East Rand, and taxis from Johannesburg and Soweto meant to go into Ekurhuleni have also been parked.

SANATACO said the reason they were without operating licenses was because of a backlog caused by the Gauteng Department of Transport.

In a recent media briefing, the council revealed that 50% of its drivers in Gauteng are without these mandatory licenses.

In response, law enforcement agents have been impounding their vehicles and charging them R5,000 for the return of their cars.

SANTACO regional secretary Zweli Mnisi said this needed to be fixed.

"We are saying let the government fix their own house, let them issue out operating licenses. In the meantime, we want to operate because this is our livelihood. We have no other alternative."

He added that they do want to resolve the matter at hand.