Taxi Violence Returns: A call for resilient partnerships

How do we make sense of the latest wave of taxi violence that has forced the closure of several commuter routes in the Cape metropole? And how should we as the business sector respond?  

The tragic loss of life, the trauma this causes, and the possibility of a protracted conflict are both shocking and painfully familiar – reminiscent of taxi conflicts of the past. 

The latest violence is even more shocking because it coincides with promising initiatives to promote compliance and business sustainability within this vital public transport sector. 

Instead of building on this successful partnership, key stakeholders are now trying to resolve a volatile conflict between two powerful taxi associations.  

It goes without saying that this tragedy extends way beyond the loss of life and livelihood associated with violent conflict. The damage to the taxi sector is unquantifiable, both in terms of loss of income and lost confidence as commuters turn to other modes of transport out of necessity.  

Many operators were already battling to stay afloat in a tough economic climate; those impacted by route closures now have a more existential threat, for it remains unclear when affected routes will reopen. 

While crises of this kind are impossible to predict, our response as a business community is within our control. We can bury our heads in the sand, and hope government ‘s intervention proves effective, or we can continue working with willing partners to forge a more resilient public transport ecosystem that is fit for purpose. 

It is not our role to unravel the intent -- both criminal and commercial -- implicit in the latest disruption; this task falls to investigators who must act with required urgency.  What we can do is continue efforts to entrench a taxi sector united by sound business practice and shared prosperity.  

It’s the same for all sectors of society: we cannot allow a small minority of criminals to hijack our vision and hope of future success.    

There will always be setbacks; the more we collaborate on overcoming them, the sooner we will succeed.

John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry