Gauteng MEC for transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has asked Soweto taxi commuters to find alternative transport after incidents of violence between two rival taxi associations, Nancefield to Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) Witwatersrand Taxi Association (Wata).
On Monday, scores of commuters were forced to find alternative transport as they returned to work.
Diale-Tlabela said in terms of section 91 of the National Land Transport Act, she was in the process of publishing a notice in the provincial gazette indicating her intention to close affected Nanduwe and Wata taxi ranks and routes in Soweto.
She said the decision was taken after the recent resurgence of violence between the two associations which also threatened the safety of passengers, residents and the general public.
The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in 2020, ratified an agreement between Gauteng’s major taxi structures, the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco-Gauteng), giving the MEC powers to dissolve taxi associations involved in acts of violence.
“I am duty bound to ensure that public transport is safe and that the community is not forced to live under a stranglehold of violence. Public transport is there to make it easy for the commuting public to travel from home to work and back safely,” Diale-Tlabela said.
As part of maintaining law and order in the affected areas, the MEC has deployed a joint operation spearheaded by Gauteng Department of Community Safety and Road Traffic Management Corporation officers.
“The teams have been on the ground since Friday and during their operations 47 vehicles have since been impounded, of these 26 belong to Wata and 21 to Nanduwe.
“Law enforcement is keeping a close eye on operations in Soweto, specifically routes around Zone 9 between Central Western Jabavu and Orlando West,” she said.
She said the department was concerned about the discontinuation of public transport services in Zola, a route not affected by tensions between Wata and Nanduwe.
“Commuters are advised to make use of alternative public transport services that include Metrorail, Rea Vaya and other bus services,” she said.
Amanda Majozi, a young commuter who has been affected by the service, said it took her two hours in the queue to get a taxi back home and struggled to get to work on time on Monday.
“It was a nightmare getting to work in the morning. I arrived at 9.30am in the morning and even now getting back home is a struggle. I don’t know how it’s going to work because it’s raining and it’s dangerous to travel in the evenings,” she said.
The Star