Taxi massacre no surprise

The recent taxi massacre of almost a dozen people by machine guns has left everyone in shock, but I for one am not surprised. While this sort of violent crime is now endemic in SA, one must take a hard look at what has led to this.

Head-on collisions between two packed, unroadworthy taxis is a normal event. Running red lights, speeding and driving in the emergency lanes is normal for these taxis.

Some years ago, then New York mayor Rudy Guiliani made a concerted effort to cut down on petty crime in what was dubbed the “broken windows” approach to law enforcement. Guiliani correctly proposed that small and “harmless” disorders lead to more serious crimes. He put forward that “obviously murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other.”

In a similar vein, the minibus taxi industry, which tolerates and condones overloaded, unroadworthy taxis that openly flout the law, is now an industry where we see open warfare.

It is a back-to-basics approach that is called for. Our SAPS and metro police are doing the industry and the country a grave disservice by not clamping down on the wanton disrespect for the laws of the road by the minibus taxi industry.

Dr Peter Baker

Parktown North