WC SANTACO calls for restraint from CoCT taxi drivers after protest in CBD
A large group of taxi drivers held a picket at the Cape Town taxi rank on Tuesday, using minibus taxis to block the entrance to the station deck.
Cape Town taxi drivers picket at entrance of Station Deck after one of their members was arrested. Picture: Ntuthuzelo Nene/EWN.
CAPE TOWN - The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in Western Cape has called for restraint from taxi drivers in Cape Town, following a protest in the CBD.
A large group of taxi drivers held a picket at the Cape Town taxi rank on Tuesday, using minibus taxis to block the entrance to the station deck
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The protest was sparked by a video of an incident in which a traffic officer had a taxi driver in a chokehold while in handcuffs on the N2 inbound near Langa on Tuesday morning.
A second video has since emerged, showing a different taxi driver being manhandled by traffic officers trying to arrest him on the N2 outbound later in the afternoon.
SANTACO Western Cape said it's concerned about what it deems heavy-handedness by City of Cape Town traffic officers when dealing with minibus taxi drivers.
SANTACO provincial spokesperson Makhosandile Tumana said while they understand that everyone must respect the law, including minibus taxi drivers, law enforcement officers must also guard against excessive force when effecting arrest or issuing fines.
"We are not supporting our drivers to break the law of South Africa. Everyone in South Africa is bound by the law of this country."
He's called for restraint from their members so this does not escalate into unnecessary chaos.