Santaco denies authorising Greyville protests
Taxi council Santaco says it did not authorise
a protest that led to several roads in Durban's Greyville area being blocked on
Tuesday.
Routes in and around Durban Station were affected when a bus and several minibus taxis blocked routes.
The roads included Umgeni and Old Fort Road.
It is understood members of the Durban Station Taxi Association are angry that operating licenses have not been issued on time by the KZN Department of Transport.
Long-distance operations to Zululand and Johannesburg came to a halt on Monday.
Although roads in the area were opened, it is unclear whether long-distance routes are operating again.
KZN Santaco's Sfiso Shangase says strikes should be a last resort.
READ: Woman run over, shot dead in KZN
"We've recently had an engagement with the department. We thought probably by yesterday, the matter would have been resolved because within that, the operations should continue, and engagement should also be pursued on the other side.
"You negotiate this side, and the service continues over that side. Not unless you are saying you have reached the deadlock, probably that when you use your powers and go to the street."
Two months ago, the KZN Transport held meetings in Pietermaritzburg with Santaco over the issue of licences.
Transport spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says over 115 permits have still not been collected for the association's members.
"During that meeting, it was agreed that taxi operators were to fetch about 115 permits that are still in the department and not collected.
"There were about 84 permits that were about to expire within sixty days, and about nine permits had already expired."
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