Disgruntled taxi drivers were blocking roads and causing a major traffic congestion in the Pretoria city centre, Tshwane metro police said on Friday morning.
”All roads leading into the city centre have been blocked by a massive entourage of taxi drivers going in and taxi drivers are ignoring all traffic signals,” said spokesperson Mel Vosloo.
The drivers are also said to be taking up all lanes and moving at a snail’s pace, delaying motorists behind them.
Pretoria police spokesperson Anton Breedt said taxi drivers were seen pelting one of the new recapitalisation taxis with stones in the city centre.
In Diepsloot, north-west of Johannesburg, taxi drivers burnt tyres on the R511 route and stoned police and emergency services officials.
Emergency services spokesperson Malcolm Midgely said police were attacked at 5.30am on Friday, by taxi drivers who saw them as a threat to their march.
”No-one was injured in the incident as contingency plans had been in place to deal with this kinds of problems,” Midgely said.
Other incidents were reported on the M2 highway between Mooi Street and Joe Slovo Drive.
Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar advised motorists not to panic.
”Motorists need not panic. Metro police will take action wherever roads are blocked.”
Spokesperson for the National Taxi Alliance (NTA), Alpheus Mlalazi, said an incident involving an attacked taxi was ”an isolated and regrettable one”.
”We have dealt with that but there is nothing to be done about the traffic as the taxi drivers have to get to the meeting place. We are not blocking any roads, we are just driving towards the area were we are to start the march.”
Operators are protesting against the proposed taxi recapitalisation process, due to start from Saturday.
The march left commuters stranded in the Johannesburg and Pretoria areas.
But Mlalazi said stranded commuters should blame but the government.
”They have been ignoring us all along, refusing to listen to our pleas,” he said.
”Taxi recapitalisation should be scrapped with immediate effect because it is unaffordable, unrealistic, retrogressive.”
NTA chairperson Sicelo Mabaso said the recapitalisation programme was aimed at ”getting rid” of current taxi operators.
”We are also demanding an immediate stop to the impounding of taxis for permit-related offences caused by the government and its statutory bodies who fail to issue permits.”
Mabaso said operators wanted all taxi permits or operating licences to be made permanent.
”We want the 12-year overdue moratorium on taxi permits to be lifted because it is retarding both growth and the development of the taxi industry,” he said.
”We want the government to start consulting with genuine leaders of the taxi industry on matters affecting the industry and to stop liaising with the SA National Taxi Council [Santaco] on our behalf.”
Santaco, the biggest taxi alliance in the country followed by the NTA, would not participate in the protest action.
Spokesperson Thabiso Molelekwa said: ”We do have taxis operating around the country including Johannesburg and Pretoria. I know for a fact that three quarters of taxis in Johannesburg are Santaco affiliates.”
He said Santaco was hoping that the NTA march would be peaceful and not disrupt operators who wished to work.
”We just hope this much would not prevent those prepared to work.”
The transport department planned to scrap more than 10 000 taxis by December. Owners would receive a R50 000 allowance for each legally registered old minibus taxi scrapped.
But the NTA said the money fell short of the deposit owners would have to pay for new taxis.
Protesters are expected to meet at Schubart Park at the corner of Schubart and Proes streets in Pretoria from 7am.
They will then proceed to the Union Buildings and 11am and will read their memorandum of demands to Transport Minister Jeff Radebe. – Sapa