Family of burnt driver prays for taxi violence to end
Citizens want justice for Siya
The family of Siyabonga Ngcobo hopes things will change for the better after he became a victim of the war between metered taxi and e-hailing drivers.
A social media movement meant to bring justice for Ngcobo and others has gained momentum following the discovery of the 21-year-old Taxify driver’s charred body in his incinerated vehicle in Sunnyside‚ Pretoria, last Thursday.
Ngcobo’s aunt Nosipho Mathenjwa said the family was left speechless by his awful death. “We are thankful for the support. We have no energy to say much. We have hope that the war will be won so that what happened to my family does not happen again.”
In June last year‚ at the peak of the attacks‚ an Uber driver died after sustaining severe wounds when his car was set alight‚ allegedly by metered taxi drivers, in Pretoria.
E-hailing drivers have been complaining about lack of protection from the police and government.
Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Ismail Vadi said vandalising property and compromising the safety of e-hailing drivers and commuters was “barbaric”.
“People think they can do as they want. We are drawing a line on this particular issue. This investigation must be conducted fully‚” he said.
Vadi said as local government‚ they were committed to finding the perpetrators and bringing them to book. He added that “we don’t know first of all who are the suspects”.
“We can’t say for now it is somebody linked to the meter taxis,” Vadi said. However‚ if there is a link‚ his department would “shut down the whole operation of meter taxis. We can’t carry on like this”.
Vadi has called on both appbased transport service providers and metered taxi drivers to apply for operating licences. “I must say‚ there has been a slow uptake from meter taxi drivers‚” he said.
Gauteng MEC for safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said it was a “myth” that police were not making any arrests or following up on crimes against taxi drivers.