Durban - Department of Transport officials in KwaZulu-Natal have convened a meeting in Chatsworth with all mini-bus taxi roleplayers to find a lasting solution to the week-long dispute over routes on Friday.
Mluleki Mntungwa, the KZN Department of Transport spokesperson, said records from the department indicate that St Wendolins Ridge and Klaarwater minibus taxi associations put in an application to the department of transport to operate the route from KwaSanti and Klaarwater to R.K Khan hospital in Chatsworth.
Mntungwa said authority was granted in 2017 for them to operate. However, the Chatsworth taxi association objected and it went through the process of adjudication where it failed, validating KwaSanti and Klaarwater to operate the route.
"The Chatsworth taxi association then lodged an appeal with the Transport Appeals Tribunal which is conducted at the National Department of Transport. To this effect, the department of transport through its Public Regulatory Entity (PRE) clearly indicated that pending the outcome of the appeal Wendolins and Klaarwater taxi associations should continue to operate the route," Mntungwa said.
Chatsworth again registered their dissatisfaction on that decision. Mntungwa said the Chatsworth association took the matter to the Durban High Court where they applied for an interdict to prohibit Wendolins and Klaarwater taxi's from operating this route.
"The court granted the interdict. This effectively meant Wendolins and Klaarwater taxi's won’t operate from R.K Khan pending the decision of the Transport Appeals Tribunal,"Mntungwa said.
Phoenix bus owners also complained to the DOT that they were being harassed by taxi operators and forced to offload their passengers to taxi's. Springfield Safari Tours owner Shanil Ramdas said they had lost an entire week of income and passengers were left stranded.
"I was forced to stop my buses from working. The lives of the passengers, my driver and I were at risk. We received death threats. We have a legal permit. We have been doing this load for decades. My biggest concern was the working class people. They were unable to get to work. Some had to take alternative transport which cost them more," he said.
Mntungwa said the DOT is monitoring the situation. He said there is a meeting between the bus and taxi operators in Pinetown, Wendolins and Klaarwater to try and resolve the impasse on Friday.