Cape Town – Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku has issued a stern warning: continued violence could result in the deregistration of taxi associations or suspension of their operating permits.
This announcement follows a week marked by deadly shootings across key transport hubs in Cape Town.
As stated by MEC Sileku, “if taxi violence persists in Cape Town, taxi associations may face deregistration or have their operating permits suspended,” underscoring the government’s zero-tolerance stance.
The violence stems from bitter rivalry between the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA), over control of a strategic route linking Mfuleni and Khayelitsha to Somerset West.
The resulting chaos across Philippe East, Khayelitsha and Macassar left five people dead and nine wounded over the past week. The resulting chaos across Philippe East, Khayelitsha and Macassar left five people dead and nine wounded over the past week.
The Western Cape government has been granted an interdict to take measures to curb ongoing taxi violence. A war over routes has erupted in Mfuleni, Somerset West, Nomzamo, and Lwandle. #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/hotsLeCRrc
— eNCA (@eNCA) August 29, 2025
Urgent legal action is already underway: the Western Cape Mobility Department has successfully secured a court interdict aimed at curbing the violence. Premier Alan Winde has called on both associations to return to the negotiating table.
“The provincial administration has secured a court interdict in a bid to end the violence in Cape Town,” noted EWN, adding that Premier Winde “is urging taxi associations CATA and CODETA to return to the negotiating table.”
Violence will never be condoned in our province. If these minibus taxi associations are unable to negotiate peacefully, we are left with no alternative but to take the necessary steps to hold them accountable.
Residents and commuters are our first priority. Their safety is of…
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) August 27, 2025
As reported by TimesLIVE, Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais said: “I condemn the brutal taxi-related attacks in Philippi East, Khayelitsha and Macassar in the strongest possible terms. Such acts of terror have no place in our communities and only serve to spread fear, instability, and suffering among innocent residents.”
Sileku added that peace commitments made at a recent Taxi Peace Summit appear to have been abandoned, with some actors “acting in bad faith.” He emphasized: “The safety of commuters, operators, and the broader public is non-negotiable.”
Violence is not culture, not tradition, not pride. It is pain, it is destruction, and it must end! pic.twitter.com/z682rVBwyl
— Minister Isaac Sileku (@IsaacSileku) August 26, 2025
Regulators stand ready to invoke the full weight of the law—whether through enforcement notices, court action, or licence suspension.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
