Taxi violence: Cele calls for ‘journey of peace’ in the industry

Police Minister Bheki Cele has vowed to end taxi violence in the Harry Gwala and Ugu Districts on the South Coast of the province.

Cele, accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal transport officials, including acting MEC Jomo Sibiya, met with the role players in the industry on Thursday following a spate of shootings that left taxi operators and commuters dead or injured.

The consultative meeting comes on the back of a spate of taxi-related violence where taxi owners, drivers and members of the public have been injured and some killed.

A number of people have died in the two districts in the past few months. Last year five people were killed in six months while this year 24 were killed in the same period.

Cele and his entourage have tabled some long and short-term measures to be undertaken by the police to address taxi industry safety concerns in the districts.

MEC Sibiya appealed to the role players in the industry to be led by their conscience when taking decisions on matters where differences exist.

“I know that we want to survive longer, I know we also want to make money in the [taxi] industry.

“The money we make cannot be enough to get us to our goals so why can’t we team up, put some money together and buy a garage for an example so that we continue to expand our work.

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“When we put money together we will know that we are doing so for a good course.

“Why can’t we contribute towards uplifting the same community members that we are ferrying with our taxis and buy school uniforms for children so that people can also be proud and say this is our service provider because we are providing a service to our communities.

“Why can’t we do that and stop treating one another like animals?” said Sibiya.

He said some operators do not sleep at home because of the nature of the job they are in.

He said there were various ways of improving the lives of all those who are involved in the industry without endangering their lives and those of the commuters.

I hope that from today we are starting a new journey, a journey of peace where our people will board our taxis with easy hearts with no fear of possible attacks on the taxis

Cele said he will send a special team to assess the killings in the industry in the area.

“We are tired of the blood bath and this has to be brought to the table and be discussed. The national and provincial ministers are putting [together] a team that will assess the industry.

“You will work with us and if you don’t SARS will know how you got rich. We will know how you generated your wealth and how you accumulated your number of taxis.

“We were here on the first of this month because the intervention has been requested at different levels even at the provincial level. But the industry itself has made a call to say we see you all over so can you come to and deal with the matter.”

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“But also the figures, they tell us there’s a need for an intervention if last year in six months five people were killed, this year in the same period 24 people were killed.

“That definitely dictates that there must be some special intervention. The team that we are going to put here will work with SARS and the SIU,” said Cele.

He said people have to be arrested from both sides including the law enforcement officers because there were many police officers who get lured into this criminality since there is unaccountable industry money involved.

He said it was known that when whistleblowers give information to police, police go and talk about it over liquor.

“The next thing you hear people ask you what did you say to the police? I heard that sometimes you fight over tenders. You are also into tenders now. We also hear that you are also selling nyaope (a narcotic drug) and that will end.

“That’s why we are bringing in experienced and expert police even if I don’t know where we will get those but they will come as a team. The police officers who have a hand in this violence will be arrested. You can’t tell me that you don’t know who the killers are. We gonna end this,” said Cele.

This article was originally published on The Witness.