The Western Cape’s new mobility minister, Isaac Sileku, has met the province’s joint minibus taxi task team and sees it as crucial to preventing a repeat of last year’s taxi strike.
Sileku, who was appointed in June, says that so far he’s also been encouraged by his engagement with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), which represents taxi owners.
The stayaway by Santaco last year in August lasted just over a week. It left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded and had a devastating effect on the local economy.
Sileku tells the FM he sees the task team as vital. “There is a platform to ask questions, there is a platform to disagree, there is a platform to craft solutions, and we need to be honest in our deliberations. We need to also understand what our roles and responsibilities [are].
“It’s our responsibility as leaders to rise above all petty issues when it comes to the safety of our people. If it means that we have to spend 24 hours in a meeting to find a solution, then let it be,” he says.
Sileku’s predecessor, Ricardo Mackenzie, was involved in setting up the task team along with officials from the city of Cape Town and Santaco. Sileku was introduced to the team by Roberto Quintas, mayoral committee member for urban mobility.
Sileku was a councillor and deputy mayor at Theewaterskloof municipality between 2016 and 2019. In the National Council of Provinces (2019-2022) he was a permanent delegate from the Western Cape.
He has been a member of the Western Cape provincial parliament since 2022, where he was a member of the standing committee on mobility and the chair of the standing committee on local government.
Sileku stresses that the safety of commuters is his priority. “What we experienced last year must be the last resort.”
He says he was frank with Santaco’s leadership, emphasising the need to “sort out ideas so that ... we sing from the same hymn book”. He says Santaco can always call for an urgent meeting if one is needed.
Sileku, who is from Beaufort West, says taxis will continue to be important.
“They transport the majority of people and we cannot wish that away. No-one wants to wish that away. But there are perceptions that we need to deal with and they need to understand that we need to work together. We were able to leave the meeting as politicians and the officials continued with the discussions.”
A functioning public transport system, he says, is crucial to creating jobs and reducing inequality. “We must make sure that mobility works and make sure that people can leave their homes and get to work safely.”
Sileku says he’s looking forward to engaging with national transport minister Barbara Creecy and has had a few productive exchanges with her over WhatsApp.
“I sent her something the premier [Alan Winde] sent me and she responded. I’m excited that she would make time to respond. I’m looking forward to better working relations. The fact that we’ve got a government of national unity, it gives us a great opportunity as different spheres of government to work for the betterment of rendering services.
“All of us should complement each other instead of competing with each other. We are in government and we need to support each other.”
He also says he will support Cape Town’s push for the devolution of rail and that it’s important for commuters to have options.
“If you want to use a train, you must feel free to use a train. If you want to use a minibus, you must feel free to use a minibus. If you want to cycle to work, you must be able to cycle.”
And it’s not only in the city. There are also opportunities in the Western Cape towns, he says. “There are a lot of people going to different towns within our province ... We must make it easier for people to come into the city. [Growth] should never be seen as a crisis but must be seen as an opportunity.”
Santaco’s Western Cape chair, Mandla Hermanus, says the organisation believes in collaboration with the mobility department.
“We were encouraged by his commitment to ensuring the task team will be supported in dealing with the many challenges faced by the minibus taxi industry,” he tells the FM.
He says the main reason for the stayaway last year was the “incessant” impounding of taxis seven months before the strike.
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