Traders, taxi drivers welcome long-awaited Nyanga rank upgrade
Words: Emihle Ngwane/GroundUp Ntombovuyo Gubudela has sold sweets and other snacks at the Nyanga taxi rank since 2020. She is one of about 150 informal traders at the rank who have complained for years about the lack of facilities for traders and commuters. The City of Cape Town has completed public meetings on its plan to upgrade the Nyanga Public... Read more → The post Traders, taxi drivers welcome long-awaited Nyanga rank upgrade appeared first on Cape Town ETC .
Words: Emihle Ngwane/GroundUp
Ntombovuyo Gubudela has sold sweets and other snacks at the Nyanga taxi rank since 2020. She is one of about 150 informal traders at the rank who have complained for years about the lack of facilities for traders and commuters.
The City of Cape Town has completed public meetings on its plan to upgrade the Nyanga Public Transport Interchange, including trading areas and other infrastructure used by hundreds of commuters daily.
The existing rank is a hive of activity with about 230 taxis transporting over 16,000 people to and from Nyanga daily.
Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the upgrade includes buildings, roofing, roads, toilets, taxi facilities and containers for traders.
A contractor is expected to be on site this month and work should start soon. However, it is unclear how much it will cost or when it will be completed.
Gubudela and other traders we spoke to said the current interchange is inadequate, especially when it rains. She said some traders have to sell in the open because there is not enough room. She welcomed the upgrade, especially the provision of dedicated stalls.
While the upgrade is underway, traders will move temporarily to the nearby Nyanga Sports Field. The area will also accommodate Golden Arrow buses and taxis and provide toilets, offices and security.
The upgrade also forms part of the MyCiTi Phase 2A expansion to connect areas that include Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Wynberg and Claremont.
The City said the project was prioritised to address serious safety concerns. In March, GroundUp reported on a protest by hundreds of taxi drivers demanding better policing.
This followed the torching of nine taxis and a deadly shooting at the rank. In February 2025, taxis were also set alight at the rank. The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) alleged that taxis were burnt at their rank by their rivals who wanted to disrupt operations.
Solethu Sawulisi, CATA chairperson, said they have been in talks with the City but foresaw ‘some challenges’ for their passengers during the upgrade period.
Sawulisi said that they will be moving operations to the temporary site at the sports facility in January 2027, where they intend to be for two years.
In the interim, taxi drivers will help inform their passengers about the relocation and where their new pick-up points will be.
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**Picture: **Emihle Ngwane
Words: Emihle Ngwane/GroundUp
The post Traders, taxi drivers welcome long-awaited Nyanga rank upgrade appeared first on Cape Town ETC.
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About this article
- Length
- 444 words · 2 min read
- Published
- September 19, 2026
- Byline
- capeetc
- Source
- Cape Town ETC