A taxi drivers’ protest — part of a strike that left commuters in Soweto and Orange Farm without transport on Wednesday — was illegal, Johannesburg metro police said.
”They did not apply for permission to protest,” said Inspector Edna Mamonyane.
On Wednesday morning drivers blocked roads in and around Soweto and forced commuters out of the few taxis that were travelling to Johannesburg.
The drivers were protesting against metro police officers stopping them during peak-hour traffic.
They claimed that metro police harassed them, but not metropolitan bus drivers.
Mamonyane said taxi drivers had not raised the concerns with metro police. She said taxi drivers’ claims were not true.
”We are not targeting taxis. We are just enforcing the law to all road users.”
She said no application to protest had been made.
Mamonyane said metro police could not allow people to do whatever they like on the roads ”because one of our duties is to ensure that road users abide by the rules”.
With so many deaths in road accidents, the law had to be enforced, she said, adding that most taxis were fined for driving through red traffic lights.
”Overloading, speeding and driving without valid drivers’ licences and professional driving permits were some of the most common offences with taxi drivers.”
Some protesters waved knobkerries and pangas at taxis and their occupants.
The taxis were forced to return to Soweto because all roads to Johannesburg were blocked.
The protesters stopped taxis near Bara taxi rank in Diepkloof, Orlando East, Robertsville and Highgate. — Sapa