MINIBUS TAXIS TAKING ON THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN OVER MyCItI N2 EXPRESS SERVICE

Codeta has lodged a formal complaint against the City for alleged irregularities relating to the collapse of the MyCiTi N2 Express service. Picture: BHEKI RADEBE/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
Cape Town – The Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) has lodged a formal complaint against the City for alleged irregularities relating to the collapse of the MyCiTi N2 Express service.

Codeta’s lawyer, Barnabas Xulu, said those complaints were brought to the attention of the City from 2017, “and the City failed to remedy the irregularities over a period of two years”.

“It is accordingly inconceivable that mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase seeks to finger Codeta as party responsible for the collapse of the service.”

Xulu said the disagreement among shareholders was no petty squabble, as the City would have the public believe. He said there were serious allegations that have been made against certain parties and matters of fraud and corruption reported to the relevant law enforcement agencies.

“There were also serious irregularities and governance problems under the N2 Express, chief among which was the dominance of Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs), and their monopoly over all processes associated with the N2 Express,” Xulu said.

Gabs spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said: “Golden Arrow, as a shareholder, has always co-operated fully with all attempts to restore the service following the expiry of the contract on May 31.” Dyke-Beyer said they were disappointed with recent developments but would not comment further at this stage.

Xulu said the call to request for quotation confirmed their initial assertion that the City sought to muscle out the underprivileged and un-empowered minibus taxi operators who were the rightful and directly affected operators in favour of a century-old untransformed bus company, thereby resisting the best intentions of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) “which seeks to integrate and empower the previously disadvantaged and equip them to run an effective public transport system”.

“Purchase consistently fails to cite which provisions under the NLTA empower the City to make the decision… and further that allow for the City to put the operation of the N2 Express to tender,” Xulu said.

“We have fully complied with each conditionality as proposed for the resumption of the service and remain committed to the resumption… for the benefit of the Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain communities in spite of Codeta not being the party to provide the service over the interim period.”

This followed the City’s announcement on Thursday that an interim operator for the MyCiTi N2 Express service would be sought, which came as a shock to Codeta lawyers, “because they were still in talks with their client”.

Last week, Purchase said the Gabs and Route 6 Taxi Association had confirmed in a letter to the City that they were willing to resume the service. “However, Codeta was insisting on a new arrangement at all costs.

Source: Cape Argus – motoring