Law-enforcement agencies across Gauteng have issued hundreds of fines and taken dozens of unroadworthy minibus taxis off the roads during a week-long public transport blitz.
State agencies, including the Gauteng Transport Inspectorate and the Road Traffic Management Corporation, ran the campaign under the banner #RemoveSkorokoro from September 14 to 20 across the province. The operations focused on high-risk public transport areas, roadworthiness, valid documentation, and driver compliance.
Defective brakes, worn tyres, non-functional headlights, non-functional brake lights, and faulty indicators were among the safety issues flagged during the operations.
Blitz removes 69 unroadworthy taxis from Gauteng roads
During the operations, 70 minibus taxis were found operating without valid licence discs, while 104 drivers lacked a valid driver’s licence. Furthermore, 69 minibus taxis were removed from the road for being unroadworthy, and 19 were impounded after failing road safety evaluations.
A total of 850 Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences infringement notices were issued across Gauteng, with Tshwane recording 151 fines.
Additionally, 646 electronic infringement notices were processed through the inspectorate’s e-Force devices, with Tshwane recording 104 notices, while three of the 75 vehicles issued with discontinuation notices were operating in the city.
Government promises zero tolerance for illegal operators
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela cautioned motorists regarding the provincial government’s efforts to make roads safer, insisting that impounding and discontinuing unroadworthy vehicles is a legal mandate and a life-saving measure.
“As the department, we will not tolerate drivers continuing to operate without valid driving licences or taxis operated without valid licence discs,” Diale-Tlabela said.
“Driving without a valid driver’s licence or driving an unlicensed public transport vehicle is against the law. Those who continue to disregard the law are putting the lives of passengers and other road users at risk.”
Diale-Tlabela stated that the department has engaged with the minibus taxi industry to end the unroadworthy trend, adding that law-enforcement operations will continue until non-compliant drivers and vehicles are removed from public roads.
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