Disgruntled taxi drivers in Pienaar vow to intensify strike amid road crisis

The taxi drivers operating in the Pienaar area said they will continue to intensify their strike if the government does not provide tangible solutions to the poor road conditions.

The taxi operators shut down the D1723/Luphisa road leading up the eMoyeni Mall, which is under currently under construction, this morning, November 24.

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The Top Star Taxi Association’s chairperson, John Mavundla, said they are frustrated with how the project has been handled.

Since the start of the road construction, many vehicles, including their taxis, have broken down due to the poor road conditions.

He added that the contractor went so far as to dig up parts of the road, creating severe potholes. Taxi drivers are forced to spend their own money on vehicle repairs, with no compensation.

Mavundla also warned that when it rains, the potholes become invisible, causing even more damage to vehicles.

“This has been going on for too long, now taxi drivers are tired. Some officials came to tell us that they will fix the road but then disappeared again without a trace. We will continue to strike until they fix it,” he said.

The Luphisa road construction was started in September 2024 and was expected to be completed by September this year; however, it is not even close to completion.

Mavundla also told Lowvelder that they shut down all taxi operations. He explained that only pedestrians were allowed to cross to the other side of the road, while schoolchildren and commuters relying on transport were not allowed to pass. Both buses and taxis were halted, with no vehicles allowed to enter or leave the area.

Some commuters have been stranded in town with no way to reach the area. In October, some workers affiliated with the contractor, Ntlemo Projects, also took to the streets to shut down the area.

They were demanding unpaid wages from the company. Lowvelder reached out the Ntlemo Projects’s during the workers’ strike and were told by the company’s compliance manager, Leonard Nkosi, that the workers were paid what was due to them and the project was suspended until further notice.

He added that they were also in discussions with the relevant departments and stakeholders.

Today, Nkosi said the company decided to remove themselves from the project. He could not disclose much information about what led to this decision.

The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport’s spokesperson, Bongani Dhlamini, said they are meeting with stakeholders, community representatives, and some taxi operators to find a solution to the problem.

At the time of publishing, the department had not yet provided feedback from the meeting, which began earlier this morning.