MEC Sileku denies 'mistake' in taxi route closure as CODETA court challenge looms

Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku has emphatically rubbished claims by the taxi association CODETA that his department made a mistake by shutting down some taxi routes in Cape Town amid ongoing violence.

Taxi routes and lanes from Mfuleni and Khayelitsha to Somerset West have been closed for ten days, as part of a 30-day shutdown implemented by the department. The measures were put in place to prevent further violence linked to a dispute between rival taxi associations CATA and CODETA over the affected routes.

CODETA has taken the department to court over the decision, arguing it constitutes unfair punishment. The association wants the court to overturn the directive, with the matter set to be argued next Tuesday.

CODETA spokesperson Nceba Enge suggested that the provincial government had conceded an error: "We are so happy that the government agrees that they made a mistake about the announcement that the routes will be closed. So, it means the mistake is on their side, so why can't they open the route?"

However, Provincial Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku insists this is not the case, stating that the closure remains necessary for stability.

"As the Provincial Minister of Mobility in the Western Cape, I reiterate that the extraordinary measures implemented shall remain in place such [until] such a time [as] advised otherwise by the courts of law and/or a peaceful and sustainable agreement is reached by the affected parties," MEC Sileku stated.