Benoni Taxi Association thanked for its CBD interventions
“This is the beginning of our partnership with the BTA. This year, we will do more to clean our town and rid it of all the wrongdoing."
The Wattville Community Forum (WCF) and the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) Waste Management Department employees joined hands to thank the Benoni Taxi Association (BTA) for restoring order and making the CBD a safe space for the community.
The city employees and forum members prepared meals for the BTA hierarchy, which they shared with them at the Benoni Plaza on December 19.
“Some employees from the solid waste department and members of the WCF thought it would send the right message to thank the BTA for its work in the CBD,” said WCF chairperson Bongani Cibi.
“We also want to show the BTA that they can collaborate with community organisations, especially those led by women and because they are powerful, we can go a long way together,” Cibi added.
He said this initiative follows a campaign led by the BTA in 2022 to remove vagrants, most believed to be drug addicts, from parts of the CBD after numerous complaints of muggings and theft.
In November of that year, taxi drivers brought the CBD to a standstill when they forcefully removed vagrants from the plaza, smash-and-grab hotspots like Cranbourne Avenue, the corner of Tom Jones Street and Harpur Avenue and the Benoni Station.
They also targeted alleged drug dealing hotspots around the Benoni Plaza, where they removed suspected drug mules in ‘hijacked buildings’.
Also Read: Taxi drivers go after vagrants at Benoni plaza
Sharing his testimonial about the changes in the CBD since the taxi association’s clean-up initiative, Cibi said while crime has decreased, there was still work to be done.
“There were many drug dens and brothels in our CBD. People who sell drugs to our youth destroyed our town. Crime was high. We see changes since the BTA intervened. We still have a long way to go before Benoni can return to what it was.”
Cibi said together with the BTA and several organisations, they will work tirelessly to get rid of illegal substances in the community because drugs kill our future leaders.
He would like to see the plaza restored to its majestic beauty and said they will work hard to return Benoni to being its Jewel of the East status.
“This is the beginning of our partnership with the BTA. This year, we will do more to clean our town and rid it of all the wrongdoing.
“All residents of Benoni and its surrounds are welcome to join us,” Cibi said.
Those willing to work with the WCF can contact Cibi on 082 268 0311.
Also Read: WATCH: Taxi drivers ramp up efforts to clean plaza
