Taxi associations follow historic peace agreement with prayers

By LULAMILE FENI and SIKHO NTSHOBANE

Peace has been forged between feuding taxi associations and hopes are high that there will be no more bloodshed.

The historic deal was hammered out in meetings between rival bosses, and later approved at an emotional meeting in Mthatha on Sunday which was attended by 50 significant roleplayers in the sector.

The bosses made no bones about the terrible economic losses they suffered when Police Minister Bheki Cele shut down major routes in and around Mthatha – including the busy R61 route from Port St Johns to Mthatha and the routes to Tsolo, Ugie and Maclear – beginning ahead of the Easter weekend.

Officially, by early this year 60 people had died in taxi violence which started in 2016, but the latest death toll is estimated at 80.

Sunday’s meeting and prior negotiations were a first for rival taxi associations Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Associations (Bata).

Speaker after speaker lashed out at the violence, calling it “demonic” and “destructive” as national, provincial, regional and local leaders shared the podium.

Bata was led by its president Vuyani Mshwiywa, the Uncedo delegation was led by national chairman Diliza Ngudle and general secretary-general Lesley Pholemon, and Santaco was represented by provincial secretary and Bata secretary-general, Vusumzi Mbewu.

Mshwiywa said: “So many people would not have died if taxi owners had acted immediately and before the bloodbath got out of hand. Now we are faced with this demon.

“Nobody has benefited from these absurd activities. Yet loved ones died and the businesses were tarnished. In the eyes of the public we are seen as monsters and killers. It will take a lot of time and hard work to restore our glory and integrity.”

The new deal, aired at the meeting, will see the former rivals:

lOperate as one entity on all routes and in all ranks;

lHold regular meetings between leaders of Bata and Usta about managing operations of public transport and other issues;

lHold meetings of taxi owners of the two associations frequently;

lAllow Santaco in the region and province to monitor the two associations and the peace agreement;

lStrengthen the associations’ code of conduct in line with the peace agreement; and

lRemove taxi association stickers from vehicles.

Uncedo general secretary Lesley Philemon said: “We are committed to peace and harmony. We have all agreed on peace and we will closely ensure implementation of these crucial resolutions.”

Uncedo Mthatha chairman Mnikelo Mbopha, Bata Mthatha chairman Thandekile Skomelo and Santaco OR Tambo’s Ndala Godloza, who facilitated the meeting, publicly committed their associations to peace.

Mbopha and Skomelo said the industry had suffered economically from the shutdown of routes, which added to the pain of blood spilt.

After the meeting, a prayer service was held at the Mthatha Town Hall.

Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana’s spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie said: “If all goes well, there should be a firm agreement in place before the end of the week.”

Despite an SMS making the rounds threatening violence and disruption yesterday, all was quiet.

However, a number of shops remained closed, and some schools issued warnings to parents not to send their children to school for the day.

From 4am, police patrols were in full force around Mthatha and in the CBD, supported by taxi owners. Traffic was reduced and there were long queues of people walking to town.

Taxi bosses hope to present their peace agreement proposal to Cele in Mthatha on Thursday or Friday. Meanwhile, all taxi operations in Mthatha remain suspended.

Cele’s office played it cool, with his spokeswoman Nonkululeko Phokane only confirming that Cele will be in Mthatha for a MinMec meeting.

“We are aware of the situation in Mthatha and that is under control. I am not aware of any peace agreements,” said Phokane.

All of this was cold comfort for the grieving family of an elderly street hawker, Nozipho Ida Phakathi, who was stabbed to death in Old Payne village near Mthatha about three weeks ago.

The family believes their mother would still be alive today if Cele had not instituted the ban and the rival taxi bosses had not been at war.

Their actions left thousands of commuters stranded and vulnerable to muggers, especially when walking home in the dark.

Nomthandazo Phakathi, 33, and her three siblings said they felt robbed of their mother and grandmother. Nozipho was stabbed to death by unknown people, possibly riding on horseback, while returning home from Libode were she works as a street hawker. Nomthandazo said she woke her mother early on the morning on April 6 to prepare food for her seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She was stabbed that night, after being dropped off by two people on the N2 close to her village.