Taxi protest blocks road to Pretoria
Residents wanting to travel to Pretoria from Mpumalanga were trapped when taxi drivers barricaded the road during a protest on Thursday morning.
Motorists and commuters coming into Pretoria from Mpumalanga were denied access to parts of the R568 in KwaMhlanga on Thursday morning when taxi drivers staged a protest along the route.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Leonard Hlathi said taxi drivers claimed they were not being issued operating licenses.
He said the taxis blocked the road between Vaalbank and KwaMhlanga, leading to Pretoria when the protest turned violent.
“It got really violent and the protesters even threw stones at passing cars. Police had to fire rubber bullets and one person was slightly injured,” he said.
Hlathi said the situation was under control by mid-morning as an agreement was reached between the department of transport and the taxi drivers.
“The protests are coming to an end, but we are still monitoring the situation. The road will be opened soon.”
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