Police on Monday dispersed more than 800 protesters and 150 taxis that blocked Durban’s Mangosuthu Highway on Monday morning, police said.
Police spokesperson Inspector Vincent Mdunge said the blockade, which caused chaos as commuters could not use the M4 to and from Umlazi and Durban International airport early on Monday morning, has been removed.
”Everything is back to normal,” he said.
Taxi drivers in KwaZulu-Natal are warned that the blockading of public roads is illegal and will not be tolerated, the provincial minister for transport, safety and security, Bheki Cele, said on Monday.
Cele said those who were involved in such activities ”would face the full might of the law”.
Promising that it will never happen again, he said: ”No government will tolerate unnecessary inconvenience caused to its citizens. The blockading of public roads is illegal and those involved as well as those who are contemplating such activities should immediately desist.
”We will use all our resources to remove these people and their vehicles. There will be no negotiations on the road and those involved will be arrested and face the full might of the law.”
The head of the provincial department of transport, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa, reiterated Cele’s words, warning that those involved in the blockading of roads will face maximum sentences, including stiff penalties for the towing of their vehicles and pound fees.
”Even the leadership of the taxi industry in the province was not aware of this blockade.
”It seems that the taxi drivers just decided to do their own thing. If people have problems they must use the correct channels and procedures to address such problems. This will not be tolerated and we are working together with the South African Police Service and the eThekwini municipality to ensure that this never happens again,” Mbanjwa said.
Durban police confirmed that 12 drivers taking part in Monday’s blockade were arrested and 18 taxis were impounded.
The drivers were protesting against the city council and police, claiming they were being stopped and fined unnecessarily on a regular basis. Some drivers claimed they were ticketed for about five offences in one day.
Police managed to disperse the crowd and clear the highway after using stun grenades. — Sapa