MBOMBELA – Violence flared up in the city centre on Monday as members of a number of taxi associations battled it out for what seemed to be access to prime taxi routes in and around the city.
Shots were later fired in the heated feud and Andrew Street had to be cordoned off. The taxi rank also had to be closed temporarily while the violence raged on.
According to Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM), the associations, including the Kabokweni Taxi Association and amalgamated association Top Star, were engaged in a power struggle over certain routes which had been assigned by the taxi union.
Top Star is accusing the taxi union of favouritism, alleging that Kabokweni is the apple of its eye, allowing it to have access to prime routes. Since taxis have to respect one another’s routes, those belonging to the Top Star association may allegedly not use these routes.
Ngala said the feud between the two unions had apparently been dragging on since last year. “The associations were supposed to enter into negotiations but we cannot determine if this happened,” Ngala said. At the time of going to print, Ngala, members of SAPS and security were locked in a scheduled meeting with a number of taxi associations. The outcome of the discussions was not yet known at the time of going to print.
