Daily Dispatch
Put a stop to the taxi violence
VIOLENCE and bloodshed continue to dog the taxi industry in the province with the murder of a taxi owner in East London on Monday, throwing the spotlight on the troubled industry.
The ambush, of a taxi owner affiliated to the Mdantsane Uncedo Services Taxi Association (Mdusta), brought the number of taxi violence-related killings in the province, to 35 over the past two years.
At this rate it seems that the death toll will continue to rise despite the government intervention – with rival associations in the province fighting over influence and lucrative routes. The killing on Monday comes barely a week after passengers and hawkers watched in horror as Mthetheleli Mqala was shot at the Highway taxi rank in Mdantsane.
He too was a member of Mdusta. It is believed the two incidents may be linked to recent elections within the taxi association. Mqala emerged victorious following the elections last week while the latest shooting victim is said to have lost out at the same meeting.
Obviously murder is the most difficult crime to police as statistics show that it usually happens among people who know each other. But the unfortunate part about the taxi violence are civilians who find themselves caught in the crossfire as the violence escalates. In what seems a classic case of titfor-tat attacks, it is only a matter before innocent passengers become collateral damage.
The bloody taxi feud comes on the back of a peace agreement facilitated by transport MEC Weziwe Tikana and signed by rival organisations in the OR Tambo region earlier this month. The agreement was binding on all members of the associations in the Eastern Cape.
If they do not adhere to the agreed terms, the MEC warned “their vehicles will be impounded and their operating licence will be stripped”. Now it remains to be seen whether the MEC will make good on her warning. However, while law enforcement may be responsible for ensuring the perpetrators are brought to book, the violence can only come to an end if the taxi associations themselves do something about it.
The peace deal is a worthless piece of paper if the parties involved do not acknowledge its contents, respect it and adhere to it. The taxi industry has always been widely regarded as a law unto themselves where disorder on the country’s roads is almost expected.
However, we cannot allow this deadly state of affairs to remain. The taxi industry provides a vital service to a large section of our society. A 2015 StatsSA report found that of the 51% of SA households who make use of public transport, a large majority of those commonly used taxis (76.7%). It further found that taxis were the most common mode of transport used by the 3.7 million learners who make use of public transport. Associations must pull together to eliminate the animosity over control of routes and other issues fuelling the infighting and become a reliable source of transport for the masses. The solutions to the senseless violence must come from the industry itself.