SANTACO President Abnar Tsebe warned against unlawful disruptions to transport ahead of the 30 June anti-immigration protests. South Africans have pushed back sharply given the taxi industry’s own history of violence and disruption. Image:Santaco
The South African National Taxi Council has warned that any unlawful disruption to the movement of people and goods ahead of the 30 June anti-immigration protests could harm economic activity. The SANTACO 30 June warning was issued by SANTACO President Abnar Tsebe in a formal statement this week. Furthermore, SANTACO called on protest organisers to keep demonstrations peaceful and within the law. As a result, the intervention has drawn sharp and pointed reactions from South Africans who say the taxi industry is the last organisation with standing to lecture anyone about lawfulness.
SANTACO 30 June Warning: What Tsebe Said
Tsebe stated that immigration management and border control are the responsibility of government departments, not communities or protest movements. He called on protest organisers to respect the rights, safety and dignity of all people. Furthermore, SANTACO spokesperson Rebecca Phala stressed that any disruption to transport operations would hurt commuters, businesses and the wider economy. “South Africa’s transport sector serves as a critical enabler of economic participation, connecting workers to jobs, learners to schools, patients to healthcare facilities, consumers to businesses and goods to markets. Any unlawful disruption to the movement of people and goods carries a risk of negatively affecting livelihoods, businesses, productivity and investor confidence,” Phala said.
SANTACO also warned that cross-border taxi operations could be affected if neighbouring countries retaliated against anti-immigration protests in South Africa. The council said its members transport passengers, traders, tourists, workers and families across the SADC region. Furthermore, any actions creating uncertainty or discouraging cross-border travel could damage regional trade and economic integration. As a result, SANTACO framed its intervention as being in the interest of both South African commuters and the broader regional economy.
South Africa Pushes Back Hard
The reaction to SANTACO’s statement has been swift and largely hostile. Commentary across social media reflects the view that SANTACO is one of the last organisations in South Africa with the moral authority to lecture anyone about lawfulness or disruption to economic activity.
South Africans have pointed to a long and well-documented record of violence, intimidation and economic disruption linked to the minibus taxi industry. Taxi wars have claimed hundreds of lives across multiple provinces over decades. Taxi operators have blockaded roads, closed highways and forced businesses to shut during disputes. Furthermore, commuters have been killed in crossfire during taxi violence in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. As a result, many South Africans find the sight of SANTACO warning others about disruption to economic activity genuinely difficult to process.
Critics have also pointed to the taxi industry’s well-documented record of operating outside formal legal frameworks on multiple fronts. Unroadworthy vehicles, unlicensed operators, route wars settled with firearms rather than courts and years of resistance to regulation are all part of the public record. Furthermore, government itself has repeatedly acknowledged that it has struggled to regulate the taxi industry effectively for decades. As a result, the sentiment expressed widely is that an industry with that history cannot credibly claim the moral high ground when telling South Africans how to conduct their protest action.
What SANTACO Got Right
Despite the hostile reaction, SANTACO’s factual position on immigration law is accurate. Immigration management and border control are indeed the responsibility of government departments. Community patrollers and protest movements have no legal authority to demand identity documents or enforce immigration law. Furthermore, transport disruptions do have real and immediate consequences for South Africa’s most vulnerable commuters. Those consequences fall hardest on working-class South Africans who depend on taxis to reach their jobs each day.
The council’s call for protests to remain peaceful and lawful also aligns with the position of Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, who confirmed this week that the government is spending R600 million on security to ensure 30 June remains orderly. Furthermore, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national address on 7 June 2026 also made clear that the right to peaceful protest is constitutionally protected while violence and intimidation are not. As a result, SANTACO’s legal position is correct even if the messenger has a credibility problem in the eyes of many South Africans.
The 30 June Picture
The SANTACO intervention adds another voice to an already crowded national conversation ahead of 30 June 2026. Twenty-seven civil organisations including the March and March Movement have confirmed they will march. The government has deployed police across all nine provinces and placed the SANDF on standby. Rwanda has told African governments to stop blaming South Africa and address the root causes of migration. Somaliland this week issued its own 10-day order for undocumented foreigners to leave its territory. As a result, 30 June 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential single days in South African public life in years.
For more information on SANTACO visit santaco.co.za.
Editors Note The views expressed by South Africans referenced in this article are those of members of the public on social media and do not represent the editorial position of Mzansi Today Live. All information about SANTACO’s statement is based on the formal statement issued by SANTACO President Abnar Tsebe and spokesperson Rebecca Phala as published on 16 June 2026. Mzansi Today Live will update this article as further information becomes available.