Johannesburg - The Gauteng MEC of Transport Jacob Mamabolo said he was concerned by the militarisation of the taxi industry in the province.
Mamabolo was responding to the largest incidents of taxi battles, over routes in Soweto and other parts of the province. He said officials were finding it hard to mediate between fighting associations in Witwatersrand African Taxi Association (Wata) and Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe), who were involved in a shoot-out last week.
The two associations have been battling it out for routes for years and many lives have been lost. Gauteng Traffic Police had arrested several men in connection with last week’s violence at the Wata offices. But The Star understands that certain routes in Soweto have not had a free flow of taxis since last week’s violence. The other areas of concern in the province were Krugersdorp, the Vaal, and parts of Pretoria.
“I am worried about the renewed wave of taxi violence in the province. But what makes mediating hard is that now there are security companies involved,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo said the problem with the involvement of the security companies was that they were linked to hitmen (inkabi) that were responsible for deaths in the industry. He said the provincial government would take certain steps to ensure that the industry cleanses itself of negative elements.
“They are bringing heavily armed Inkabis to protect them. We have a problem of the capture of the industry and the leaders think they can run the industry with guns. These people are making more money than the taxis themselves, they are collecting money at gunpoint,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo said there were instances where those who had employed security companies would be in danger if they cancelled their agreement with those particular companies.
“The taxi industry has been captured and this capture is going to collapse the industry. The paramilitary activity is what is fuelling the violence and this is going to eat up the association, and the one who proposes that they be removed will not see the light of day,” Mamabolo said.
A National Taxi Association (NTA) spokesperson, Theo Malele, said the industry had fallen on tough times and this had led to some in the industry struggling to sustain their business, leading to an increase in competition among some associations.
He said the NTA was mediating in an ongoing fight between Wata and the Nancefield association. There were also reports of fights for routes in the Vaal and north of Joburg.
“We appeal for calm and we are mediating between the two. The mediation has been happening for some time, so we will reflect on how we have regressed to this point,” Malele said.
The taxi industry has not been formalised and faces many challenges, including disputes over wages between drivers and owners. There are also disputes about the number of taxis an owner can put on the road and the fight over routes. “I can’t say much, for fear of reprisal, but we are formulating a solution for these two parties; we are having a lot of these incidents and we call for the MEC to also help us,” Malele said.
Gauteng Traffic Police arrested four men in connection with last week’s shooting at the Wata offices. The suspects included members of a security company, who were in possession of unlicensed firearms.
The arrests come after a serial killer, linked to several murders in the industry, was nabbed a few days ago. Spokesperson for Gauteng Traffic Police Sello Maremane said the alleged inkabi was also accused of trying to steal the body of his victim for ritual purposes.
“We are seeing an increase of violence in the province with the industry, and we were swift to respond in Soweto last week. We appeal for passengers to be safe and to notify us of any suspicions they may have.”
The Star