Commuters and the public can breathe a sigh of relief after the Western Cape Division of the High Court declared an agreement signed between Santaco and local government to be an order of the court. Santaco is now unlikely to strike despite the growing tension between the taxi council and City of Cape Town officials.

Following the Western Cape Division of the High Court's judgment on Friday, 18 August, that made the agreement between taxi mother body the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government a court order, many commuters - together with residents - were worried that this could spark another taxi strike.

Santaco lost its bid to interdict the municipality from impounding its vehicles until the taxi task team had established what constituted impoundable offences under the new traffic by-law.

Santaco had also submitted that the authorities were not abiding by the agreement that ended the more than weeklong taxi stayaway that resulted in five deaths, business losses and destruction of property.

Although Santaco lost this case, it felt vindicated when the court ordered that impoundments should only happen under the National Traffic Act. The taxi body believes that current impoundments are not in line with national legislation, something the city council denies.

Santaco Western Cape deputy chairperson Nceba Enge said after the ruling that "Santaco feels vindicated in its view that minibus taxis can only be impounded on the three grounds agreed upon, which excludes the contravention of any condition imposed on operating licences,...