FRIDAY, 5.30PM
OVER 90% of the of taxi drivers belonging to the South African Long Distance Taxi Association (Saldta) in the Mabopane-GaRankuwa area refused to operate on Monday morning in protest at new legislation which requires them to display permit stickers on their vihicles.
Odi public order policing spokesman Superintendent Steve van Heerden said taxis belonging to Saldta, which is the predominant taxi body in the area, were not running. He alleged members of Saldta were intimidating commuters who wanted to board taxis belonging to other organisations.
Taxi-related violence in the area, which has claimed more than 22 lives this year, forced the Gauteng and North-West governments to pass legislation compelling taxi organisations to register and registered drivers to display route permit stickers on their vehicle windows. Failure to do so would result in taxi owners and drivers being given 14 days to pay an administration fee of R500 for the first offence, R1 000 for the second offence and R1 500 for the third to release their vehicles, on top of a R1 500 fine for operating an illegal taxi.
Gauteng transport department representative Kate Bapela condemned the protest. “It is not in the best interest of the industry to hold a protest. If they have complaints, why don’t they come to us and talk,” said Bapela. She said the provincial government invited Saldta officials to a meeting last week but they did not pitch.
She warned Saldta members not to intimidate commuters. “They will be arrested if they intimidate commuters. We have to protect the commuters by all means possible,” said Bapela.
She said more than 8 000 taxis have been registered to date. “I think the number of unregistered taxis is minute,” she said. “We are now in the impoundment phase.”
Meanhile, violence erupted at the Rietgat taxi rank in Soshanguve on Monday, hours after the rank was reopened after it was closed on June 20 by the Gauteng government in an attempt to put a stop to ongoing violence involving rival taxi associations. Five men apparently attacked the driver of a minibus taxi belonging to the Federated Local and Long Distance Taxi Association (Felldta). “According to witnesses, the driver ran after his attackers and shot one of them in the foot,” said police spokeswoman Captain Mercia Fryer. All six men fled the scene. Bapela earlier said the department retained the right to close the rank again if violence was reported. No arrests have been made.
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