- A major taxi route between Cape Town and Paarl will remain closed for another four months.
- The B97 taxi route was closed last year amid escalating taxi violence.
- This comes after taxi associations failed to reach an agreement over the right to use the route.
The B97 taxi route between Bellville and Paarl will remain closed for four more months.
The route was closed in July, following deadly disputes between taxi operators over who had the right to transport commuters on it.
Taxi organisations CATA and Codeta each claimed to have the right to use it.
The period of the closure was supposed to come to an end on Thursday, but Western Cape Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell extended it because the taxi organisations failed to resolve their dispute during mediation.
Mitchell said:
He said an extension was necessary to "stabilise the situation".
"In terms of the transport contingency plan that was drawn up at the start of the closure period, Golden Arrow bus trips will remain in operation between Bellville and Paarl to transport commuters," he added.
"I expect that extending the closure of these routes and ranks will help to maintain the relative stability that was restored to the public transport environment in the affected areas and support the process of finding lasting peace."
In September and October last year, 19 taxi-related murders and nine attempted murders were reported.
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