Route control sparks tension in Limpopo taxi industry
Commuters have expressed frustration over incidents where they were forced out of vehicles by patrollers, who even questioned relationships between passengers and drivers in some cases.
POLOKWANE – The tension was palpable last Wednesday between members of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and Violet Mathye, the MEC for Transport during the taxi council’s annual general meeting held at Bolivia Lodge.
Mathye addressed taxi operators and Santaco leadership, raising concerns about the taxi industry’s confrontations with other road users offering lifts to family and friends.
Mathye, speaking in the presence of council president Abnar Tsebe, chairperson Frans Ngwepe, Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba, and Mayor John Mpe, warned that disputes over public transport routes could escalate into violence if not managed constructively.
“These confrontations understandably frustrate both the public and the taxi industry. We must recognise that without constructive solutions, this issue could escalate into unnecessary violence, affecting all of us,” she said.
Ngwepe responded by defending the council’s stance, saying they were unwilling to compete for routes already covered by permits obtained through Mathye’s department.
Commuters have expressed frustration over incidents where they were forced out of private vehicles, e-hailing cars, and seven-seater taxis by taxi industry patrollers, who even questioned relationships between passengers and drivers in some cases.
Ngwepe also expressed the industry’s discontent with seven-seater public transport operators, whom they had already permitted to register for scholar transport but who now compete for commuter business.
He remarked, “The department said everyone has the right to transport children or commuters, but they must follow proper guidelines, so everyone must follow rules that bind them.”
