It’s believed the fight over the Bellville to Paarl taxi route is simply a smoke screen for something bigger.

The City’s Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith says there are only six permits on the B97 route which is not a big deal. Cata and Codeta have been locked in a cycle of deadly violence which has forced the closure of the taxi route for two months.

More than 80 people have been killed in taxi-related violence this year in the Western Cape. Some of them have been brazen targeted killings. According to Premier Alan Winde eleven people have been arrested.