Editor – Taxi violence has already claimed far too many lives. The number of incidents here in KwaZulu-Natal during the past 11 months bears testimony to this.
With more than 200,000 minibus taxis currently registered in South Africa, the sector has become a multi-million rand industry, reportedly carrying 60% of all commuters going to work, school and other places.
It is mainly those who belong to lower-income groups who use minibus taxis for transport.
It is also these members of our society who are forced to face the brunt of the taxi industry’s often toxic and violent behaviour, with their lives placed at risk daily.
Surely the time has come for government to employ extraordinary measures in order to restore calm and stability in an industry that remains largely unregulated while plagued by lawlessness and killing for control of lucrative taxi routes and competition for passengers.
A DA-led government would immediately adopt the following multi-sector intervention to get a grip on the situation:
– Increase the capacity of special task teams and improve communication and co-operation between them;
– Strengthen current existing gaps in relevant regulations to ensure that the industry is effectively regulated;
– Increase intelligence capacity on the ground to find the source of high-calibre illegal weapons, including R5s and AK-47s, which are used by hit-men;
– Urgently hold a National Taxi Indaba involving SANTACO and all relevant stakeholders, including DoT, SAPS, RTI, Metro Police, Crime Intelligence, Military Intelligence, SASS, as well as various commuter associations.
Taxi-related violence is compromising the socio-economic well-being of our country.
The lives of innocent commuters and other road users must be protected. Government can no longer allow this industry to remain a law unto itself. The blood-letting must stop.
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