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Taxi wars in South Africa

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The term taxi war refer to the turf wars fought between taxi associations and individual minibus taxi drivers in South Africa from the late 1980s onwards[1] to the present.[2]

The multi-billion rand minibus taxi industry carries over 60% of South Africa's commuters.[1][3] Generally speaking, these commuters are all of the lower economic class. Wealthy individuals drive their own cars for safety and convenience. The industry is almost entirely made up of sixteen-seater commuter Toyota Quantum buses, which are sometimes unsafe or not roadworthy. Minibus taxi drivers are well known for their disregard for the rules of the road and their proclivity for dangerously overloading their vehicles with passengers.[4]

Due to an effectively unregulated market and the fierceness of competition for passengers and lucrative routes, taxi operators banded together to form local and national associations. These associations soon exhibited mafia-like tactics, including the hiring of hitmen and all-out gang warfare.[5][6] Taxi associations have also engaged in anti-competitive price fixing.[7] Notable taxi operators include the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) in Cape Town.

Causes

Prior to 1987, the South African taxi industry was highly regulated and controlled, with Black people being refused permits under apartheid laws. Sixteen-seater minibuses were illegal to operate as taxis. After 1987, the industry was rapidly deregulated, leading to an influx of new minibus taxi operators keen to make money from the high demand for their service. Because the taxi industry was largely unregulated and the official regulating bodies were deeply corrupt, the industry quickly became criminal in nature.[5]

The economic triggers for the wars were intertwined with political unrest around the time of the abolition of apartheid in 1994. Commuters were often the target of political violence not necessarily related to the taxi industry itself. Often, the warring factions involved were from opposing political parties, such as the Inkatha Freedom Party and African National Congress. In the years leading up to the end of apartheid, the National Party government is believed to have actively encouraged this violence so as to destabilise its political opposition.[8] For example, in 1998, thirteen police officers were charged with complicity in taxi violence.[9]

Timeline

Passengers packed inside a taxi.

Pre-1977: State-owned monopoly

The Motor Carrier Transportation Act of 1930 prohibited transportation of goods and passengers by road for profit without a permit from the Local Road Transportation Board (LRTB).[1] The South African transport industry was essentially a state monopoly held by the South African Transport Service (SATS). Taxi owners operating outside the jurisdiction of the LRTB were operating illegally. These taxi operators started banding together into local informal associations.

1977–1987: Impetus towards deregulation

Along with growing political pressure, the 1976 Soweto Riots prompted the apartheid government to form a commission of inquiry into the transport industry. In 1977, the Van Breda Commission of Inquiry recommended freer competition and less regulation in the industry. The commission realised that the transport industry was becoming highly politicised and that it was no longer in the government's best interests to participate in the transport market.[5]

In 1979, the first national association of black taxi drivers was established: the South African Black Taxi Association (SABTA). In the years to come, rival organisations, such as the South African Long Distance Taxi Association (SALDTA),[10] would be formed. This body, along with other political bodies at the time, started putting pressure on the government to deregulate the industry. Impetus towards a free market economy grew stronger in the late 1980s.[1]

1987–1996: Deregulation

The White Paper on Transport Policy, tabled in January 1987, in conjunction with the Transport Deregulation Act of 1988,[11] effectively deregulated South Africa's entire taxi industry overnight, making minibus taxis legal.[5] This change gave birth to the taxi industry as it exists in its current form. The permit-issuing process was rife with corruption; permits were essentially given away to favoured applicants. For all intents and purposes, there was no control whatsoever.[5] In the absence of official controls, the now-growing taxi organisations began using their influence to make more money to intimidate competitors. The authorities did little or nothing to stop the violence.[5]

1994–1999: Post-apartheid violence

In contrast to expectations, taxi-related violence intensified after the fall of apartheid.[1] In 1995, the government established the National Taxi Task Team (NTTT) to arrive at a solution to the violence. In 1996, the NTTT's first report recommended the immediate re-regulation of the taxi industry. However, the government's attempts at re-regulation were actively resisted by the now extremely powerful "mother" organisations that controlled the taxi industry, leading to an escalation of violence between 1998 and 1999.[1]

1999–2010: Recapitalisation

Modern share taxi in Cape Town.

The South African government intended for The National Land Transport Transition Act, Act No 22 of 2000 to help formalise and re-regulate the now out-of-control taxi industry.[7][12] Along with new legislation, the government instituted a four year re-capitalisation scheme that same year. The intention of this scheme was to replace the fifteen-seater minibuses with eighteen- and thirty-five-seater minibuses.[10] There have been a number of delays in this process. Firstly, the government has been waiting for the taxi industry to form one cohesive association that can speak on behalf of taxi owners; secondly, there is a lot of disagreement from taxi owners as to the nature that the re-capitalisation scheme should take. One major sticking point is the possibility of job losses caused by the uptake of the larger buses. The government attempted to do research into the extent of the prospective job losses in 2000, but the research team was threatened and their work was abandoned.

In 2004, the minister of transport released a revised re-capitalisation timeline, which was scheduled to start in 2005 and end seven years later.[13] At the time of writing the TRP had started, although plagued by delays.[14]

According to the Transport Department, 1,400 old and unsafe taxis have been scrapped, with 80% of the taxi fleet expected to be recapitalised by the 2009/10 financial year.[15] The recapitalisation continues to fuel conflicts within and between taxi associations, as well as between taxi associations and government agencies.[16]

2010-present: Increased taxi violence

On 25 December 2020 nine people died and multiple others were injured in the Mount Ayliff Christmas Day Massacre which resulted from a taxi dispute between competing taxi operators.[17]

Train fire the Cape Town Railway Station and taxi rank linked to taxi operators.[18]

Cape Town

See also: 2021 Cape Town taxi conflict
See also: 2023 Western Cape taxi strike

In Cape Town taxi operators have been linked to a number of arson attacks on passenger rail services and buses, acts of extortion, murder, and violent conflicts between operators. In July 2021 a spike in taxi violence occurred as Conflict between minibus taxi operators CATA and CODETA for control over the B97 taxi route between Bellville and Paarl[19] resulting in the 2021 Cape Town taxi conflict. At least seven taxi drivers were killed in separate shootings incidents throughout the City of Cape Town.[20] Taxi operators are known to extort private passenger services in an effort to force them out of the market and reduce competition.[21] Multiple protests by mini-bus taxi operators against the authorities for impounding taxis violating road, road worthiness and municipal bylaws have occurred.[22][23][24] In response to legal violations by mini-bus taxis the City of Cape Town has introduced policies to more effectively clamp down on the industry.[21]

In August 2023 a violent taxi strike was declared by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).[25]

Train arson

Burnt out Metrorail carriages in Cape Town in 2018

A number of arson attacks on passenger trains in Cape Town have been linked to the minibus taxi industry.[26] Convicted arsonist and taxi rank employee Ricardo Khan testified to the Blue Downs Magistrates' Court "that he gets paid more if more taxis are in operation and business is good” following the torching of a train.[26][27] Around 140 train carriages had been destroyed on the Cape Town system in a series of "well organised" weekly arson attacks by 2018.[18]

Long distance bus routes

A number of attacks on long-distance bus operators in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng by minibus taxi associations were reported in 2022. The bus industry alleges that the attacks were motivated by the minibus taxi associations desire to control long distance bus routes and extortion of existing long-distance bus operators.[28] "Between January 2021 and February 2022, over 150 incidents of shootings, stonings and other acts of violence and intimidation directed at bus drivers and passengers were reported to South African Police Service (SAPS) in the three provinces."[28]

Death toll

Taxi-related violence death toll[5]
Number of deaths Number of injuries
1991 123 156
1992 184 293
1993 330 526
1994 123 292
1995 197 282
1996 243 331
1997 243 331
1998 246 343
1999 258 287

See also

External sources

  • Taking taxis to task, Carte Blanche, 6 November 2022, retrieved 6 December 2022

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Sekhonyane, Makubetse; Dugard, Jackie (December 2004), "A VIOLENT LEGACY: The taxi industry and government at loggerheads" (PDF), Sa Crime Quarterly, 10: 13–18
  2. ^ Wines, Michael (17 September 2006). "South Africa's taxi wars taking toll". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 7 April 2007.
  3. ^ Bähre, Erik (2014). "A TRICKLE-UP ECONOMY: MUTUALITY, FREEDOM AND VIOLENCE IN CAPE TOWN'S TAXI ASSOCIATIONS". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 84 (4): 576–594. ISSN 0001-9720.
  4. ^ Hansen, Thomas, Boys 'n' wheels. Music, race and gender in the taxi industry in Durban (PDF)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Dugard, Jackie (May 2001), "From Low Intensity War to Mafia War: Taxi violence in South Africa (1987–2000)", Violence and Transition Series, 4, archived from the original on 9 February 2012
  6. ^ "Shooting at Benoni taxi rank claims life", Business Day, 3 July 1999, archived from the original on 29 September 2007
  7. ^ a b The South African Taxi Industry Archived 24 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report (PDF), vol. 3, 1998, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2006
  9. ^ "AFTER three years of bickering and false starts, the taxi industry is on the brink of forming an all-inclusive national council. Once it is formed, government is ready to give the body statutory self-regulating powers", Business Day, 15 June 1998, archived from the original on 29 September 2007
  10. ^ a b Organising in the taxi industry: The South African experience (PDF), 2003, archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2006
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ An Overview of the National Land Transport Transition (Act 22 of 2000) Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Taxi Recapitalisation Project Archived 13 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Taxi recapitalisation gets into gear – SouthAfrica.info Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Taxi recapitalisation programme, South Africa
  16. ^ Bähre, Erik (2014). "A Trickle-Up Economy: Mutuality, Freedom and Violence in Cape Town's Taxi Associations" (PDF). Africa. 84 (4): 576–594. doi:10.1017/s000197201400045x. hdl:1887/121976. S2CID 145073432.
  17. ^ Mthethwa, Cebelihle. "Mount Ayliff killings: Accused in court for Christmas Day attack where 7 died". News24. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Why Cape Town's trains are on fire in South Africa". BBC News. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  19. ^ Payne, Suné (23 July 2021). "ACTION PLAN: Route at heart of Cape Town's taxi violence eruption to be closed for two months". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  20. ^ Ludidi, Velani (7 July 2021). "Seven dead this morning as taxi related murders climb to 71". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 13 July 2021. Cape Town – The police have been deployed on taxi routes around Cape Town following a spate of shootings to ensure the safety of commuters.
  21. ^ a b Taking taxis to task, Carte Blanche, 6 November 2022, retrieved 6 December 2022
  22. ^ O’Regan, Victoria (24 March 2022). "COMMUTERS STRANDED: Thursday taxi protest over impoundment of vehicles causes blockades, disruptions and violence in Cape Town". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  23. ^ Malgas, Bertram. "City of Cape Town impounds taxis as drivers block roads over permits". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Cape Town pushes back against taxi bosses, issuing R1m in fines and impounding 118 vehicles". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  25. ^ Marks, Velani Ludidi, Suné Payne and Samane Jnr (7 August 2023). "TAXI STRIFE: Day 5 – Two people killed in two incidents near airport as Western Cape taxi strike continues". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 7 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ a b Cruywagen, Vincent (24 April 2022). "Jailed arsonist admits taxi industry cashes in on train fires". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  27. ^ Mthethwa, Cebelihle. "Cape Town taxi employee who burnt train so he could 'get paid more' sentenced to 20 years". News24. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  28. ^ a b Buthelezi, Sebe. "amaBhungane | Taxi 'mafia' blamed for deadly attacks on long-distance buses". Fin24. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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