Taxi drivers in the CBD say they want the police to do their job and stop ‘nyaope boys’ drug addicts from robbing their passengers anymore.
This follows clashes between taxi drivers and drug users, on the corners of Brown and Lilian Ngoyi streets, in the early hours of Monday morning.
Police had to intervene as taxi drivers trashed a clothing store and a hair salon where they said drugs were being sold.
During the fracas, the shop and salon’s windows and doors were damaged.
Brown Street has in the past few years gained notoriety as a hotbed of criminal activities, ranging from drug peddling to prostitution in dilapidated buildings.
The taxi drivers said drugs were being sold at the two shops in broad daylight and police were not doing anything about it.
ALSO READ: Taxi drivers, ‘nyaope boys’ clash in CBD
The taxi drivers also accused the drug addicts of robbing their customers and making them feel unsafe.
A taxi queue marshal, who only identified himself as Mr Mahlane, said they took the law into their own hands because police were not doing their job.
“All the police did was to take bribes in the mornings and evening – and no arrests were made,” he said.
“Drug dealers sold the drugs right in front of the police; so we decided to take it upon ourselves to rid the street of the thugs. Our people [taxi commuters] are safe now” he said.
Mahlane said the problem only occurred after 19h00 in the evening when taxis were no running.
“We want minister Bheki Cele to come and deal with this problem immediately,” he said.
ALSO READ: VIDEO AND GALLERY: Msimanga visits notorious Brown Street
Police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe told Rekord police and Tshwane law enforcement would “regularly” raid the area to fight drugs and crime in the area.
She also confirmed that the shops’ windows and doors were damaged during the clash earlier this week.
“We urge the public not to take law into their hands; if there is any suspicious criminal activity, inform police. Illegal conduct by taxi drivers and owners would not be tolerated.”
Selepe previously told Rekord more was being done to make Brown Street a drug-free area.
ALSO READ: Brown Street drugs scourge remains a worry – police
Meanwhile, a man working at a shop in the street said they were without any power after some ‘nyaope boys’ have stripped the insides of their electricity meter to sell as scrap metal.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said looking at the insides of their meter box “one could not believe that it was once in a working condition”.
“The drug addicts have been a big problem here and I am happy they are gone now,” he said.
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