Taxi ‘patrol vehicle’ taken off the streets
Welcome to Emjindini, where people in the taxi industry are waging a war against motorists, whom they accuse of stealing their customers.
BARBERTON – If you happen to drive past Emjindini and see people on the side of the road in the pouring rain or the scorching sun asking for a lift, the good Samaritan in you might want to offer them a ride.
However, you would be surprised if a Toyota Corolla sedan car appears out of nowhere, blocks your way, orders the people in your vehicle to get out and slaps you with a spot fine.
If you cannot pay it, your car might be impounded until you can.
Welcome to Emjindini, where people in the taxi industry are waging a war against motorists, whom they accuse of stealing their customers.
However, the Toyota Corolla sedan, which locals have called a nuisance, has since been taken off the road by the City of Mbombela Local Municipality’s (CMLM) traffic officers.
According to Joseph Ngala, municipal spokesman, the car has been forbidden from being on the road.
“Our traffic law enforcers identified defects in it. They then suspended it from being on the road until all the defects are fixed. If not repaired, its disc licence will be confiscated should it be found on the road,” said Ngala.
To many the suspension of the car has come as a relief, especially students of the local TVET campus, who are mostly seen hitch-hiking.
“These guys who were always in the car were drunkards who were taking the law into their hands. Most of us rely on hitch-hiking to and from the campus, but the so-called taxi patrols were against it. I hope it will be scrapped off the road forever,” said student, Mbali Mhlongo.
Moses Simelane, spokesman for Umjindi Barberton Taxi Association (UBTA), said he was not aware that their patrol vehicle has been suspended.
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