Pretoria – Chaos erupted on Gauteng’s major freeways on Thursday as protesting taxi operators used their vehicles, as well as hijacking heavy trucks, to block the roads.
“It is hectic on our roads this morning. Most of our freeways and highways are blocked. This includes the N12, the N1, and it is worse in Pretoria because the R80 to Soshanguve and Mabopane is blocked,” Gauteng Traffic spokesperson Busaphi Nxumalo told the African News Agency (ANA).
“There is no movement on the R21 at Flying Saucer [interchange] from Pretoria. That is where the challenges are.”
Nxumalo said the protesting taxis had also hijacked heavy trucks and were using them to block the freeways. #TaxiStrike: It keeps changing but these are just some of the routes to avoid at the moment... pic.twitter.com/IyC1dJfX01
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) June 15, 2017 Centurion – RT @AndileAV @TrafficSA N14 South before Jean Avenue pic.twitter.com/8brZ842Lhg
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) June 15, 2017
#TaxiStrike R55 outside Laudium. VIDEO pic.twitter.com/YI8mhKpjpq
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 15, 2017
They have the audacity to even say "We are pleased to Inform all passengers"
😂 Dankie M'shayeli😂 #TaxiStrike #ExtendedLongWeekend pic.twitter.com/Cr9mygPlmU
— Royal_Royalty (@Gladwin_13) June 15, 2017 Avoid Midrand the N1 is blocked in both directions at Allandale. Pretoria Main Road is also affected.
#TaxiProtest #TaxiStrike You know you live in South Africa when you wake up and see this 🤷🏻♂️🚶🏻 pic.twitter.com/FfQxUNK1Fh
— CallMeBlaque⚫️ (@Benzo_Him_Self) June 15, 2017 #taxistrike pic.twitter.com/fg2rCxMyx6
— sam Thlerisani (@thlerisani) June 15, 2017
The entrance of Eersterust, Pretoria. School children stranded due to #TaxiStrike. Taxi drivers arguing in Stormvoël towards Mamelodi. pic.twitter.com/4UnnKw8n9R
— Zeenat Patel (@ZeenatPatel01) June 15, 2017
Our guys [traffic police] have been there, removing these taxis from the road. As of now, we have impounded more than 17 taxis which were blocking the roads. They are now hijacking trucks and using them to block. They are actually taking the keys from the truck drivers,” said Nxumalo.
She said earlier, in a bid to scare motorists around the Mall of Africa in Midrand, some taxi drivers had fired shots in the air.
#TaxiStrike Taxis obstructing roads near the Brakfontein, Buccleuch & Diepkloof interchanges, affecting the N1, N3, N14 & JHB M1 ^NS pic.twitter.com/B3MkHtuV5M
— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) June 15, 2017
Midrand – #TaxiProtest RT @Sikrweqe Coming from Bluehills shopping centre @TrafficSA pic.twitter.com/dTjmNJfDIe
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) June 15, 2017 Centurion – N14 South, #TaxiProtest RT @bezroc N14 S towards Jean Ave @TrafficSA pic.twitter.com/QZH3CSaNju
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) June 15, 2017 Gauteng – #TaxiProtest TOMORROW: Taxi commuters should consider alternative travel arrangements pic.twitter.com/5z9mEPasEt
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) June 14, 2017
“They are trying to scare people using alternative means for transport. Remember, we have alternative routes like the R101 and some people had used such roads to get to their destinations. Our officers rushed there and we are on the scene. We are still looking for that taxi, obviously it has firearms,” said Nxumalo.
She appealed to road users to venture onto the roads only after ascertaining whether it was safe.
“I cannot say people should not go to work, but they must use alternative routes, not the major freeways.”
The Tshwane Metro Police on Wednesday said the protest was illegal. The taxi operators, aligned to the South African National Taxi Council, are protesting against what they call high repayment fees on their vehicles.
The Gauteng operators had on Wednesday advised commuters to arrange alternative transport for Thursday.
However, commuters in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, said though they had managed to organise other means of getting to work on Thursday, they were blocked by taxi operators on the exit of the area.
“I usually use a taxi but because of the strike I decide to take a bus. Some people arranged private cars, unfortunately we were blocked on the exit and told to go back home,” said resident Phillip Moremi.
The area remained quiet and there was no reports of violence.
Taxi operators were expected to hand over a memorandum of grievances to the directors of SA Taxi Finance company.