Whistle-blowers ‘vital’ in fighting GBV at taxi ranks
This as a Tshwane SANTACO has said that about 11 Tshwane drivers have been dismissed in the past year after being positively identified as perpetrators of GBV.
Whistle-blowers in the taxi industry have been of great help in arresting perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) at taxi ranks, a spokesperson for the Gauteng traffic department said.
“Through their leads, we could crack down on several crimes,” said Gauteng traffic spokesperson Sello Maremane.
He said these whistle-blowers were protected, as “we do not expose them to any form of danger”.
Maremane made the remarks during a visit to the Bosman taxi rank in the Pretoria CBD on Monday.
The visit was part of a regular campaign by Gauteng traffic police and the Tshwane metro police to raise awareness about GBV at taxi ranks in the area.
He cited Mamelodi East and Temba in Hammanskraal as GBV “hotspots”.
According to him, the visit was also part of the run-up to the upcoming 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
“We want to encourage female commuters to report all GBV incidents,” said Maremane.
“Our aim is to break the cycle of violence against them.”
The visit formed part of the provincial government’s campaign against GBV and femicide as well.
“We visit various taxi ranks once a week right around the province through the regular O kae molao operations. We also engage with taxi associations members on the ground.”
He said taxi members belonging to various associations were encouraged to assist commuters who appeared “distressed”.
“We have arrested several perpetrators of GBV with the help of taxi association members.”
Despite this, he said that taxi violence and reckless driving were of concern to law enforcement agencies in the province.
“We are also worried about unroadworthy minibus taxis.”
Despite the taxi industry’s help in fighting GBV, he said that they cannot expect any special treatment this festive season when it comes to flouting the rules of the road.
“We want them to uphold the law and we will enforce it unconditionally,” he said.
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About 11 Tshwane taxi drivers have been dismissed over the past year for their role in GBV, said the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) Tshwane regional spokesperson Mack Makata.
“The industry has always condemned any criminality at taxi ranks where we operate,” Makata said.
“Any drivers who have been reported as being ill-mannered towards women cannot be allowed.
“The industry’s stance is that any driver or employee found to be violating women will be dismissed and handed over to the police.”
He said a decline of such crimes could be attributed to customer care training.
“Bit by bit, our employees are starting to see the light on gender-based violence crimes compared to the past when there was no such formal training for drivers.”
Makata encouraged commuters who had suffered gender-based crimes at the hand of taxi drivers to make a note of the taxi’s registration details and which association the taxi belonged to.
This would help the association in question to track down the suspect and let the law deal with them.
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