The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) removed taxis from the busy corner of Winnie Mandela Drive and Fourways Boulevard near Fourways Mall on November 24, leaving taxi drivers and owners devastated and uncertain about their future.

Mbuzeni Maxwell Mhlongo from the Alexandra Taxi Association’s Fourways committee contacted the Fourways Review in tears, saying the operation has stripped many families of their daily income.

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“Our livelihoods are being threatened. We have been parking here for over 20 years, and now we are just being removed without being given a formal place to park.”

When the Review asked whether the association is aware that operating at Winnie Mandela Drive and Fourways Boulevard is illegal, Mhlongo acknowledged openly.

“We are aware that operating there is illegal, but the problem we are facing is that we have nowhere else to go.

“We don’t have a place to park. I don’t know where the police expect the taxis to park, because till now, we don’t have a taxi rank in Fourways.”

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He added that the temporary rank allocated by Fourways Mall is far too small to accommodate the volume of taxis serving the area. “It is so crowded that one of our drivers fainted. The space cannot handle us, and it causes severe congestion.”

Mhlongo stressed that the area under the Witkoppen Road bridge had become more than just a parking space; it had grown into a small economic hub.

“It is accessible for commuters who use public transportation. We also have car washes and people selling food for our taxi drivers. We don’t have a problem with moving; the problem is, where are we supposed to move to?”

He said the association has, for years, pleaded for a proper taxi rank development in Fourways, but has seen no progress. “Santaco is not helping us. Maybe people at the office level get help, but for us on the ground, nothing happens.”

Responding to the concerns, Santaco spokesperson Sabata Mbobo confirmed that the matter remains unresolved. “We have met about the problem in Fourways. It seems we will not have a solution right now because there is not sufficient space for holding in that area. There was a space at the mall on the rooftop, but when cars were chased away, the place was later converted into a tennis court. We are still trying to look around for holding space.”

The Fourways Review has reached out to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla for comment. More information will be provided once it becomes available.

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