Outrage as taxi rank returns outside Natal Settlers

THREE months after Metro Police rid the area in front of Natal Settlers Memorial Home from 'the beginnings of a taxi rank', elderly residents are once again outraged by their return.

Berea Mail received complaints from residents of the home as well as residents living across the road in Kenneth Gardens. A 79-year-old retiree from the home, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussion, told Berea Mail he was fed up with the taxis parking outside his home. “They are not supposed to be here! They throw newspapers through the fence and there are no toilet facilities for them, yet they park here all day. Its a real problem and very unhygienic; besides urinating on the trees they leave a lot of dirt and filth in the area,” he said.

A Kenneth Gardens resident, known only as Jaco, said the taxis parking in front of the home had really become an eyesore. “They only stopped parking when Metro Police removed them the last time, but returned soon after. They are using the area we use as parking for cars from the flats,” he said.

Belinda Naidoo, general manager of Natal Settlers, said the problem recurred shortly after the Berea Mail article in October. “It stopped for about three or four weeks but then fewer taxis returned. They are not as loud as before but they still urinate on our fence.

“It is so unsightly and unhygienic because there is a smell that comes to the home and litter is left behind when they leave at the end of the day.”

Naidoo said the issue was not just the home's problem but a community one, and she hoped all stakeholders would get involved in finding a long-term solution.

Umbilo ward councillor, Nicole Graham, said she was disappointed to find that the taxis had returned, but would work with Metro Police to find a resolution.

Meanwhile, Metro Police have confirmed that enforcement steps would be taken to resolve the taxi issue outside the home.