With reports of a looming turf war in the local taxi industry, Honeydew Police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan assured that various law-enforcement agencies have been dispatched to monitor the alleged crisis.
In the early hours of 1 March, news circulated about a possible taxi war in the area over routes disputes among rival taxi organisations.
However, the report soon reached the law-enforcement bodies, which subsequently dispatched a large contingency of specialised units to the hotspots in a bid to bring calm to the brewing situation.
“A situation was supposed to unfold but our Provincial Taxi Task Team intervened. Working with other role players such as the Gauteng Traffic Police and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), we have maintained visibility in the hotspots to ensure that there is no violence,” Muthan explained.
To attest to the seriousness of this scourge, in November last year, two members of the Dobsonville Roodepoort Leratong Joburg Taxi Association (Dorljota) were gunned down following a drive-by shooting on the corner of Gordon and Hendrik Potgieter Roads in Florida.
Brazen men driving in a Ford Fiesta ambushed the six taxi marshals that morning. The attack resulted in moderate injuries for some while two victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
This is a developing story.
