Tourism community helps to find solution to taxi issue
The rumour that drivers are trying to set up a permanent taxi rank on that corner is untrue.
Members of the Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism (HCBT) are constantly engaging with representatives of the City of Mbombela local Municipality as well as local taxi associations to try to facilitate the issue with the taxi drivers at the Shoprite entrance to the Lowveld Mall in Hazyview.
What emerged strongly lately is that the rumour that drivers are trying to set up a permanent taxi rank on that corner is totally untrue.
“I believe we can still sort this out,” said HCBT chairman Chris Harvie, “although drivers are intimidating pedestrians as well as drivers who are ‘taking away their business’ by offering lifts.”
He said that they are also working with the mall management and bylaw enforcement to come up with a solution because of the risk that this problem could escalate into a full-scale blockade or a taxi war.
He commended the new SAPS station commander in town for the strong support they are receiving from them, as well as from the head of the local traffic department. “We communicate with them regularly and do understand that their position is quite difficult because taxi drivers sometimes tend to take the law in their own hands.”
