Pretoria - Drug users who gather from time to time around the notorious Brown Street in the city centre will no longer be tolerated, thanks to the taxi drivers.
For years, the City of Tshwane has battled to keep Brown Street clean of nyaope users and drug dealers.
However, taxi driver Moka Mokoka said they had taken on the task of cleaning up the area.
Mokoka said they were tired of constantly having to deal with commuters who had been robbed of their belongings, including transport money, by the drug users.
“There are some foreign nationals who sell drugs here, but they don’t use this stuff. So we took the decision that as taxi drivers we would clean up and remove the dealers and users.”
The taxi drivers said they armed themselves with sticks and sjamboks.
“We know where the users come from; we take them home and warn them not to come back to town to steal from innocent, hard working people.”
Mokoka said they started their campaign on realising that drugs continued to be bought, sold and used openly along Brown Street.
“The police do nothing; when we take these dealers to them, within an hour those people are back on the streets selling again,” he claimed.
On Friday taxi drivers clashed with the police in a matter related to the selling of drugs.
The drivers had closed down a shop they claimed was still selling drugs despite being warned against doing so.
Mokoka said they would continue with the campaign until the message was clear that drugs were no longer welcome in the city centre.
Regular taxi commuter Ofentse Raphiri said they were grateful that someone was finally doing something.
“I applaud them for stopping this nonsense we see every day. It’s like it's not the same town when you pass by there, it’s disgusting and so sad to see, so I say they should keep on.”
Another, Daniel Masango, said: “It was about time someone did something."