Cape Town - Langa residents are at their wits’ end with what they say is harassment and intimidation of drivers and residents by the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) operators in the area.
Residents allege that the taxi operators have for a while been stationed at exit points in the area forcing passengers out of private cars, directing them to the rank.
There has allegedly been an incident where a private car was impounded, workers prevented from using staff transportation, while those found with workers were constantly fined.
Meanwhile at Vangate Mall, e-hailing operators have also been barred from operating by the taxi operators.
A resident who asked not to be named for fear of his safety said this amounted to bullying and needed urgent intervention by authorities before it escalated.
“This behaviour amounts to tyranny, causing instability and is infringing on our rights as commuters. This does not only affect ordinary residents but also school and work transportation. We are aware of those that are told to provide evidence of kinship when found inside a car all because taxi drivers are ‘just doing their work’. We cannot allow this kind of dictatorship to continue in our area”, he said.
Vangate Mall management said it was aware of the ongoing dispute and that relevant stakeholders and authorities were currently engaging to find a speedy and peaceful resolution.
Bolt SADC Regional Manager Gareth Taylor who condemned the “violence” directed towards e-hailing drivers said Bolt did not compete with mini-bus taxis, which he said cost less than door to door e-hailing services.
Taylor said every citizen had the right to earn a living without risk of harm, intimidation, coercion, or fear of death or injury.
“Bolt continues to actively engage with national, provincial and local government, and with SAPS at local and national levels to address this scourge and work together to improve safety for ride-hailing drivers.
“We encourage any driver that is the victim of any form of intimidation or violence to report the incident to the SAPS, providing as much information as possible to the investigating officers so that alleged perpetrators can be apprehended and prosecuted,” he said.
Taylor said Bolt was engaging with malls and property owners to ensure they were aware of the their procedures.
Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell’s spokesperson Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka said the department had raised concerns with the police Crime Intelligence about the increasing incidents of hijacking and extortion by people who seemed to be affiliated to taxi associations.
“We must make it clear that, other than authorised traffic or police officers, no one has the right to ‘impound’ vehicles or to impose ‘fines’ or ‘release fees’. These actions are criminals.
“Together with our colleagues in the Department of Community Safety, we have ensured that the SAPS treat these cases as such and we will continue to monitor the situation – understanding that the victims of such crimes are more often than not, reluctant or afraid to open criminal cases once their vehicles have been released or recovered,” she said
Makoba-Somdaka said officials from the departments were building up a database of cases that have been reported and passed on to the police to launch inquiries if criminal cases had been opened.
“We believe that it is time for the SAPS and Intelligence officials to adopt a different approach to this type of criminality and have requested that a project be launched in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act,” she said.
Cata secretary Mandla Hermanus was approached for comment but failed to respond by time of publication.