CONSTANTIA | WYNBERG
TUESDAY 19 November 2019 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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Around 130 anglers competed in the 16th annual Two Ocean Tuna Derby held at the Atlantic Boat Club in Hout Bay at the beginning of November. Henry Hugo, fishing on Silver Fox, won first place in the top individual catches category with a Yellowfin weighing in at 92.80kg. Pictured are boats returning to Hout Bay after a day’s fishing. See page 8 for full story. PHOTO: DALE STAPLES
Hundreds participate in Tuna Derby WYNBERG
Rat-running taken to task NETTALIE VILJOEN
D
espite stringent enforcement measures, minibus-taxi drivers guilty of going off route continue to be a headache for City enforcement agencies and residents alike. Liz Brunette, the councillor for ward 62, says the prevalence of off-route taxis is particularly high in Wynberg where streets are narrow and traffic congestion along the Main Road has been a problem since before the 1960s. “Taxi drivers want to get to their destination as quickly as possible to earn an income, and traffic congestion delays them,” says Brunette. As a result, quite a few taxi drivers deviate from approved routes and race through suburban streets. Brunette says most streets between Alphen Hill Road and Waterloo Road, and the Main Road between Constantia
Road and Wetton Road are affected. Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase says mini-bus taxis operating from Wynberg to the broader Constantia areas have used Piers Road for several years now. “The taxis use a detour on their return to avoid congestion along Main Road. We can confirm that none of the operators operating from the Wynberg PTI has this route on their operating licences,” says Purchase. Mzoxolo Dibela, the spokesperson for the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), says it is an infrastructure problem. “The City and town planners need to rethink and implement a new road design,” Dibela says. He says sometimes taxi drivers have no choice but to take a detour. “It does not necessarily mean they are contravening the law. When there is an obstruction in the road, for example, an accident, they take a detour. They have to get their
passengers to work on time. There aren’t any dedicated lanes for taxis like there are for buses,” he says. Captain Silvino Davids, the spokesperson for Wynberg police station, confirms the station frequently receives reports of off-route taxis from residents. “Normally, we relay the message to traffic services and law enforcement active in the area. They manage to stop them or divert them back on to the road or give them fines.” Brunette says she too receives regular complaints from residents. “I have arranged meetings with community-based organisations and law enforcement, Metro police and traffic services,” she says. Brunette explains the City’s Transport Regulations department determines how many permits are issued for each taxi route and they meet with councillors when necessary, the most recent being two weeks ago.
“The City’s safety and security directorate has a blitz twice a week during which traffic officers and Metro police work together. About 132 000 fines are issued every month and most of them go to taxi drivers,” she says. Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith says the City has significantly stepped up its enforcement actions in this area in recent months. “With violent consequences, as we saw from the days-long protest in Dunoon and the taxi blockade in the CBD in mid-October.” Between 6 October and 3 November, officers held operations in Retreat, Wynberg, Constantia and Kirstenbosch. They recorded 347 traffic offences and impounded four vehicles for operating without a valid permit, or in contravention of their permit conditions. V Continued on page 2
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