About 4 000 taxi operators will march to the Gauteng premier’s office on Thursday morning to highlight grievances — especially over violence and intimidation — that they want transport authorities to address.
The Gauteng Taxi Council (Gataco) drivers will park their vehicles in Johannesburg’s Newtown, then march up to Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s offices in Simmonds street and hand over a memorandum outlining their concerns, said Gataco spokesperson ThuThu Molefe.
”We will highlight violence, intimidation and invasion of our routes, and want the report into the 1998 commission of inquiry into taxi violence to be published,” said Molefe.
He said that since the April elections, 11 leaders in the organisation had been killed and only one arrest — by a member of the public — had been made.
”All these people were intimidated before their murder — they were told to resign, and then they were killed,” he said.
Other issues include the taxi recapitalisation process and the establishment of a taxi academy that will train taxi drivers and develop their skills.
He said a grouping calling itself Top Seven, claiming to be affiliated to the national body Top Six, had been muscling in on established routes.
However, Top Six national chairperson Sicelo Mabaso denied this, saying that they had heard of the renegade group and were trying to establish who they were.
Top Six, which is affiliated to the National Taxi Alliance, would not participate in Thursday’s march and so passengers using Top Six taxis would not be affected by the expected disruptions to public transport, said Mabaso.
Top Six and Gataco have different views on the recapitalisation process with Top Six believing it is a ”non starter” that was launched without proper consultation.
The recapitalisation programme proposes the partially-subsidised phasing out of the traditional minibus taxis in favour of much larger vehicles.
Metro police spokesperson Edna Mamonyane confirmed the march and advised people with appointments near the march route to reschedule or avoid the area of Simmonds, Pritchard, Carr and Bree streets. – Sapa