Gauteng motorists have been left questioning their safety on the roads after posts and videos circulated online, alleging that taxi drivers were stopping private vehicles, harassing families and even preventing parents from transporting children to school.

Pretoria Rekord reports that while the DA accuses Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government of failing to curb taxi industry lawlessness, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has firmly denied issuing any such instructions, dismissing the reports as false and misleading.

DA MPL and spokesperson for roads and transport Nicole van Dyk said everyone has the right to choose their preferred mode of transport.

“Forcing people to make use of your service takes away the right to choose, and this cannot be allowed to continue, as it infringes on citizens’ rights.”

Van Dyk added that the DA in Gauteng has received numerous complaints from members of the public regarding taxi drivers demanding payment when they come across a vehicle they assume is an e-hailing service in their so-called designated area or route.

“If the driver is unable to pay, they are threatened with violence. We demand a zero-tolerance approach to violence between these two entities. Law enforcement must stop sitting idly by while citizens are harassed and prevented from deciding how they wish to travel.”

This comes as reports surfaced alleging that taxi operators were preventing private motorists from transporting their families, with some claims extending to parents and teachers being stopped from taking children to school in certain provinces.

Santaco has strongly rejected these allegations, emphasising that it has never instructed such actions and condemning any unlawful conduct in the strongest terms.

Santaco spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Rebecca Phala clarified that taxi services, like all paid-for transport, remain a voluntary choice for commuters and that only law enforcement has the authority to regulate transport. She urged members of the public to report any incidents of harassment or intimidation directly to the authorities.

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