Minimum disruption reported in schools as Cape Town closes multiple taxi routes following violence

On Wednesday morning, 17 September 2025, two nurses, Mihlahi Fonte from Somerset West Mediclinic and Tessa Mahlangu from Helderberg Hospital, found themselves stranded at the Somerset West taxi rank in Cape Town after finishing a night shift.

Arriving at 7.40am, they were left without a taxi to Khayelitsha after multiple routes were closed in the area, forcing them to scramble for alternative transport to get home.

“It’s exhausting enough working nights, and then to have no way home — it’s stressful and frustrating,” Fonte said. 

When asked how she would get from Khayelitsha back to work on Thursday, she replied: “That’s a great question. There’s a possibility I could be without work for the duration of the road closure. No work means no pay for me.”

Several minibus taxi routes in the area were closed on Wednesday for 30 days in response to ongoing industry violence. A strong law enforcement presence at the Somerset West taxi rank and along entry and exit routes ensured that banned taxis stayed off the roads. No violence was reported in or around the affected ranks.

The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate has established a Joint Operations Centre to monitor taxi routes in Somerset West and surrounding areas.

According to JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, six taxis were impounded on Wednesday morning amid the temporary route closures between Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Somerset West.

“More than 260 officers, drones and CCTV cameras are in force to stabilise the situation. These security measures will remain in place for five days, after which we will review the situation,” Smith said.

Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku implemented the closure under Section 91 of the National Land Transport Act and applied specifically to routes in Mfuleni, Somerset West, Khayelitsha, Nomzamo, and Lwandle.

This comes after the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) failed to resolve the violence and ensure safety at the Somerset West taxi rank and Somerset West Mall. 

1. Route 611 (Khayelitsha-Somerset West)
2. Route 43 (Lwandle-Khayelitsha)
3. Route M18 (Mfuleni-Somerset West)
4. Route X19 (Nomzamo-Mfuleni)

Read more: Western Cape commuters set to suffer from proposed route closures after spike in taxi violence

No extra transport money

There were concerns that the taxi route closure could significantly disrupt commuters trying to get to work and school, but Daily Maverick encountered few stranded commuters in Somerset West.

One of the stranded nurses, Fonte, said: “I work through an agency, and about 50 of us are affected. If I can’t get to work, it will affect my livelihood and how I manage to come in the following month.”

Mahlangu, a mother of one, told Daily Maverick that on Tuesday, 16 September, she and her colleagues could hardly believe the road closures were actually happening.

“I even asked the taxi drivers if it’s true that there are no taxis from Khayelitsha to Somerset West. I don’t have the extra money to take a taxi to Bellville and then to Somerset West, and the same on the way back every day. If I can’t afford transport to work, it means I’ll be forced to stay home and won’t get paid,” she said.

Tian Liebenberg of Immploy Recruitment Agency, one of several agencies supplying medical staff to the Western Cape Department of Health, said they had not yet received feedback from any of their nurses affected by the strike.

“As soon as our nurses are affected and reach out, we evaluate their situation and offer the assistance we can. Our nurses are employed on a locum basis, and whenever we are able to help a nurse in trouble, we always do,” he said.

Minor impact on school attendance

Kerry Mauchline, the spokesperson for the MEC of Education, David Maynier, stated: “Our schools have reported that the impact of the taxi route suspension on school operations has been minor. One school did not operate their own transport out of caution, but this has been resolved and will operate as normal from [Thursday].”

Dinah Meyers, acting principal of Somerset West Methodist Primary School — situated directly opposite the Somerset West taxi rank and in the firing line during a taxi-related shooting on 28 August — expressed a welcome sigh of relief as no violence had been reported. 

Meyers told Daily Maverick she had been concerned learners, many of whom used taxis, wouldn’t be able to get to school. 

“That was a big concern was that we don’t have rich parents, most of our learners are from Nonzamo, Lwandle and Zola. My major concern was, will the parents be able to find alternative transport to get their kids to school?

“On Monday, 15 September, I sent out a letter to parents requesting them to please try to arrange safe alternative transport to school, because we are busy with assessment and tests,” she said.

She added that 22 learners were absent on Wednesday who normally used taxis. 

“Of the 42 absent learners, 22 relied on taxis, nine on buses, nine on private transport, and two walked to school, who missed the test week, which started on Wednesday.”

Meyers extended her gratitude to Somerset West parents who went the extra mile to ensure their children attended school instead of staying at home.

“Regarding the third term test week that kicked off on Wednesday, it is very important because the marks will be added to terms one and two. This means learners will need a smaller percentage in the fourth term to pass.

“But the department usually makes allowances if a learner is absent during a test for a valid reason — in this case, the taxi route closures. The system will adjust and carry over a point for the third term,” she told Daily Maverick.

At Somerset West Primary School, principal Herman Poole said he was surprised by the 94% attendance on Wednesday. He had expected a lower turnout, as some parents had inquired about a possible school closure on Tuesday.

Daily Maverick encountered two Khayelitsha matric pupils attending Simanyene Secondary School in Strand who had struggled to arrive on time for their preliminary exams. The learners reached the Somerset West taxi rank at 9.45 am, panicked, and told taxi drivers they were late for their 9am exams.

“We waited at the bus stop in Khayelitsha from 6am, and the bus only arrived at 8am. Please help, we’re going to miss our exams,” the learners told Daily Maverick.

Fortunately, scholar transport drivers, who were still operating, offered to rush them to school and they were allowed to write their exams later that day.

Killings that caused the closure

The violence relates to a feud over routes between Cata and Codeta. 

The killings started on Monday, 25 August. Four people were injured in Phillipi East, and one taxi driver was killed and two were injured at the Vuyani taxi rank in Khayelitsha.

The following day, two taxi drivers were shot dead and three people were wounded at a taxi rank in Macassar Heights, and a scholar transport driver was shot and wounded while taking learners to school in Strand. 

On 4 September, an off-duty police officer, Desmond Mandlevu, was shot and killed in Lwandle. He was apparently also a Cata taxi operator.

This was followed by the fatal shooting of Cata’s deputy chairperson Mnikeli Mgope (61), who was gunned down last week in Brown Farm. 

The violence was a violation of the agreement reached at the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) Peace Summit, held in Cape Town on 4 August.

Cosatu calls for review of taxi route closure decision

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Western Cape has strongly criticised Mobility MEC Sileku’s decision to close the taxi routes.

Cosatu argued that the abrupt move, taken without adequate consultation or a clear alternative plan, would severely impact thousands of commuters and working-class residents across the province.

In a statement, the union said: “The minibus taxi industry is the lifeblood of public transport in the Western Cape, and any disruption to its routes directly undermines workers’ ability to get to their jobs, students’ access to schools, and citizens’ access to essential services.”

Cosatu has called on Sileku to review his decision; convene a meeting with stakeholders, and present a plan on alternative transport options before closing routes. 

Meanwhile, Codeta is going to court to challenge the closures. Its urgent application to set aside the road closures was scheduled to be heard before the Western Cape Division of the High Court on Wednesday. 

However, by the lunch break Codeta’s legal representatives had not yet filed the necessary papers, meaning the matter could possibly be heard on Thursday, 18 September. DM