Angella Johnson
VIOLENCE in the taxi industry is being fuelled by sinister “third force” operatives who encourage the use of hitmen to kill rivals, according to a programme to be aired on the SABC next Thursday (February 20).
Violence For Hire, a 30-minute documentary looking at the bloodier side of the taxi business, shows that mafia-style contract killers can earn up to R10 000 or a taxi of their own for shooting prominent operators in the war over lucrative routes.
The documentary says that police and other factions deliberately use violence as a destabilising factor in the same way that they once used it to get rid of political activists.
Transport Minister Mac Maharaj says in the documentary that the practice has become firmly entrenched. He claims he can name at least 50 individuals known to be involved, and says it is hard to believe that the police and security forces have not been active participants.
With more than 300 people killed as a result of taxi violence last year, it is one of the biggest problems facing the government. It is also a social issue with implications for the entire country – although Gauteng and the Cape have been particularly badly affected.
The taxi industry mushroomed following deregulation in the 1980s, and has been plagued by near anarchy since then – largely owing to competition for limited, and over-subscribed, profitable routes.
Most drivers in the Cape carry firearms, allegedly provided by corrupt police officials, who are also said to collude with different taxi associations to offer protection. There are also claims that some police actually own vehicles.
Ingrid Gavshon, the programme’s producer and director, says she was given unsubstantiated information that former Umkhonto weSizwe fighters, askaris and Inkatha Freedom Party members had also drifted into this lucrative killing industry as “killing is what they do best”.
The Transport Ministry seems unable to stop the outbreaks of bloodletting – often involving innocent passengers – opting instead to blame both the ministries of Justice and Safety and Security for not being tough enough on those arrested.
Gavshon, who did all her filming in the Cape, suggested that one way to start cleaning up the industry is for transport inspectors to impound vehicles which are clearly not roadworthy and fine their owners. “Getting tough even with minor infringements sends a clear signal that the government will not continue to sit idly by while these people turn our roads into killing fields.”
She said another problem was that police officers often became too close to those involved. “Moving the police around with more regularity would lessen the chance of corruption forged through close ties.”