MEC lashes taxi owners, drivers

File picture: ER24.

File picture: ER24.

Published May 6, 2016

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Johannesburg - The government has issued a stern warning to Gauteng taxi bosses to take action against their reckless drivers who are causing carnage on the province's roads.

This comes after 15 people were killed when a minibus taxi and a truck collided near Randfontein last week.

The horrific accident and several other deadly crashes prompted Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi and Joburg metro police department officials to call an urgent meeting with taxi owners in the province to discuss related road deaths.

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Many of them, including those operating routes in Soweto, Faraday and Diepsloot, were in attendance on Thursday. However, Nkosi-Malobane expressed concern over the number of those who were not present, saying those absent were the main perpetrators of breaking traffic laws.

In a scathing address, she told the gathering that according to the National Roads Act, taxi owners were responsible for their drivers and vehicles and should take action or face the full wrath of the law.

She scolded the owners for not following the correct procedure when hiring drivers.

The meeting with the drivers also examined strategies to curb taxi-related road deaths. These included visible policing and specialised training and education for drivers.

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