KwaZulu-Natal taxi operators have agreed to resume services and will start cleanup operations at taxi ranks in the province.

SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) spokesperson Thabiso Molelekwa said its leadership in KwaZulu-Natal met on Wednesday and agreed that a cleanup operation at taxi ranks should start.

On Monday, Santaco was forced to suspend its operations in KwaZulu-Natal following ongoing violence in the province.

In a social media post, Santaco said the regional chairperson had directed that all taxi leaders in the province "converge at their respective ranks for resumption of taxi operations".

"The industry will also help with cleaning [up] efforts as part of bringing the province back to normality," the statement said.

Molelekwa said it was time to send a clear message that the looting had to stop.

"They are mapping a way to resume operations, and that starts with cleaning taxi ranks. It is part of normalising the province," he said.

"KwaZulu-Natal has taken the bull by the horns. They are starting by cleaning the province and expressing that the time for looting is over."

The unrest in Gauteng affected taxis as well, but they were still operational.

On Tuesday, Santaco in Tshwane instructed all associations in the region to go out in full force to protect the city's shopping centres.

Santaco chairperson Abner Tsebe said it was in the interest of the industry to stand against "outrageous thuggery".

Molelekwa said Santaco was successful in hindering looting overnight across the capital city.

"They were patrolling malls and economic hubs in the city as part of assisting against vandalism," he said.