Many commuters were stuck after problems flared up in the minibus taxi industry in the Fochville area this week.

The problems between the Greater Fochville Transport Services (GFTS) and the Vuka Uzenzele Taxi Association (Vuta) intensified a year ago. According to GFTS, they have the right to run their taxis on all the routes in and around Fochville because they are the oldest and largest organisation in the area. They accuse Vuta of operating in the area illegally.

Vuta’s chairperson, William Manzana, has previously shown proof that this organisation did have a permit issued to it by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport in 2016.

As far as could be determined, the problems started on January 18 when members of GFTS or people aligned with them stopped Vuta’s vehicles.

According to members of Vuta, the problem flared up again on January 22.

By January 23 various vehicles belonging to both associations were parked on the side of the four-way crossing next to Fochville Secondary School where taxis turn into Kokosi.

This was after problems allegedly started earlier in the morning.

“I came from Kokosi to drive my wife to work at about 09:30 when they stopped me. They said I must switch my car off and climb out,” a Vuta member told the Herald.

He says a man aligned to GFTS climbed into his car and searched it. After he got out, money was allegedly missing from the console between the seats. He then went to the Fochville Police Station to open a case. Various other Vuta members also allege that they were harassed. One showed how police from Kagiso, who attended the scene on Friday, forced him to park his vehicle at the Fochville Police Station. It was returned to him later the day.

These problems continued into this week.

Because of the problems, many commuters could not get their usual transport to work, and in some cases, their employers had to drive to Kokosi to pick them up.
The most unusual thing about the latest problems is that there were several members or enforcers from other areas working on the side of GFTS. On Thursday there were two Volkswagens marked with stickers of the Johannesburg Westbury North West Taxi Association. One of them had Lesotho number plates.

An internet search shows that this taxi association is based on Rahima Moosa Street (formerly known as Jeppe Street) in Johannesburg. Another vehicle, a white Toyota Corolla, was marked as belonging to the Randfontein Taxi Owners Association.

“We are trying to stop them from taking our customers and our money,” says the chairman of GFTS, Themba Mahluza. He added that he hoped his association could meet with the SAPS and traffic officers on Tuesday, but Vuta would not be welcome.

The Merafong City Local Municipality did not answer questions about what its traffic department was doing to sort out the problems.