CHAOS AMID CITY TAXI STRIKE
Disgruntled taxi operators and drivers brought the streets of central Joburg to a standstill yesterday during a one-day strike.
ANNA COX, TEBOGO MONAMA AND NONTOBEKO MTSHALI CHAOS erupted in Joburg’s inner city as taxi drivers took to the streets yesterday.
They illegally blockaded the M1 and M2, causing long delays for thousands of motorists. Then they harassed motorists who were transporting passengers, accusing them of trying to thwart the strike.
Private motorists, who were taking advantage of the strike by offering people lifts to work at the taxi ranks, were chased away, and taxi drivers brandishing knobkieries forced passengers to get out of the vehicles.
The United Taxi Association Front (UTAF), which says it represents about 15 taxi associations, later marched through the city centre to hand over a memorandum to the Department of Transport.
The department could not be reached for comment.
UTAF secretary Vusi Mazibuko said taxi drivers had many grievances. “We, as an industry, are being sidelined,” he said.
The main concern was that taxi permits were taking too long – often months – to be processed.
“We drive with proof of our submission of applications, but the Joburg metro police department officers don’t accept these and they impound our taxis.”
Mazibuko said metro police officers also harassed them during peak hours.
The association wants permission to use the dedicated Rea Vaya bus lanes.
“We transport 72 percent of the workforce to and from their places of employment every day. Why can’t we, too, use these lanes?” he asked.
Speaking on the blockading of the freeways in the morning, Mazibuko said the taxi association had not authorised or instructed its members to block them or intimidate people.
“In situations like this, people do their own thing. We did appeal to them to stop doing so,” he said.
Joburg metro police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said the association had permission to gather only at the Newtown park and then to march to the Gauteng Transport Department offices to hand over a memorandum.
“They had no other permission, and what they have done is illegal, and their organisers are going to be held responsible.
“We have had several complaints about passengers being hauled out of private cars by striking taxi drivers, believing they were defying the strike,” she said.
Gauteng Education Department spokeswoman Phumla Sekhonyane said all the about 1 000 pupils due to write agricultural science yesterday morning and 25 000 writing history in the afternoon made it to the exam rooms.
In the afternoon, traffic flow outside the Bree Street taxi rank in the Joburg CBD was affected as trucks, vans and cars stopped outside the rank to offer lifts to commuters.
Taxis were parked opposite Bree Street. Inside the rank, a handful of taxis stood idle while commuters bustled on the streets outside trying to catch a ride home.
Many of the vendors’ stalls in and around the taxi rank were empty.
A metered taxi operator taking people to Cresta from Bree Street said he did not care about being victimised for loading the desperate commuters.
“I have to do what I can. How can I be scared of making money? I have to eat,” he said.