The taxi industry will now be required to give 36 hours' notice of strike action, according to a resolution that ended the week-long taxi stayaway in Cape Town.

On Friday morning, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis briefed the media on the resolution in the presence of SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) representatives.

The agreement, which mirrors one proposed last Friday, includes an "escalation system that will loop in the premier and mayor should a dispute arise", Winde said. He said this would provide "another layer before we end in strike action".

The agreement allows for the impoundments under the National Land Transportation Act (NLTA) to continue for vehicles driving without operating licences, on the incorrect route, when the drivers are not licensed, or when the vehicles are not roadworthy.

In the next 14 days, the taxi task team will draw up a list of major offences for which vehicles can be impounded and minor offences for which fines will be issued.

Santaco first deputy chairperson Nceba Enge said he hoped the taxi task team sessions would be fruitful but added that 14 days were not enough to sort out "some of the issues on the table".

During the briefing on Friday, Hill-Lewis said the focus would remain on commuter safety.

In terms of the agreement, Santaco will be able to query impoundments for minor offences, and representations will be made to a prosecutor to support the release of the vehicles.

Despite coming to an agreement the night before, members of the delegation took the opportunity to throw barbs at each other during Friday's meeting.

Both Hill-Lewis and City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for Transport Rob Quintas said they felt the strike could have ended days ago because the agreement was almost identical to the one proposed last week.

"It feels like there was an unnecessary extension," Hill-Lewis said.

Western Cape Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said the talks had further fallen apart when "guns were brought to a meeting" on Sunday.

Enge said the stayaway had been prompted by alleged heavy-handedness from law enforcement authorities during a traffic operation last week.

He said that an urgent meeting had been called between stakeholders at the time, which Mackenzie denied being invited to.

Enge also said Santaco had walked out of taxi task team meetings in July because "nothing had been achieved" in five months – something Mackenzie also disputed.

Enge again called for the City to cease the impoundment of taxis, saying that operators had had their vehicles repossessed as a result of the impoundments.

Mackenzie said Santaco expected the authorities to agree to things "that are not acceptable".

"It's a pity your vehicle is impounded, but if an operator gives his vehicle to a drunk driver and expects a traffic officer to look away… I'm sorry, but there is not a government in the world that will agree to that" he said.

Enge estimated that the industry had lost around R50-million in revenue per day due to the strike.

Five people died in strike-related violence and infrastructure worth millions of rand was damaged.