Police, ‘Operation Shanela’ raid Sheppie taxi rank
Taxis were seized and impounded as they did not have operating permits.
The Port Shepstone taxi rank was raided by police and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s Public Transport Enforcement Service’s, ‘Operation Shanela’ last Friday.
Taxi drivers were searched while lying on the ground.
The taxi rank came to a standstill as no one was allowed in and out.
Commuters were upset as they felt threatened, and had to wait for the operation to be completed, before they could catch a taxi to their destination.
Taxis were seized and impounded as they did not have operating permits.
The spokesperson for the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco), Mduduzi MakhungaMakhunga said no taxi should be operating without a permit.
Some taxi owners and drivers claimed the process to get those permits are not easy, and it has taken some years to get them.
According to Makhunga once an owner applies for a permit, it can be either granted or not.
He added that it should not take more than two months to get a response from the department after the application.
“No new permits will be issued, but only those who have applied during phases 1, 2 and 3.”
He also explained that Santaco and government have assessed some associations and whether it is feasible for owners to have over a certain amount of taxis.
He added it’s not viable to buy a new taxi when you are not making a profit.
“We found that some associations have a lot of taxis which results in no profit which might be one reason why some are denied permits.”
He also encouraged owners to get a permit before buying a taxi.
Makhunga also said the Ugu region is the worst when it comes to taxi-related killings.
“Port Shepstone or the Ugu region has had issues of lives being lost over routes. This is because people are operating where they should not be operating.”
He said as Santaco they have put pressure on government to help them resolve these issues to calm down the situation, which is the reason police raided the taxi rank.
When asked about the national shutdown and if it would affect this region, Makhunga said as KZN, Santaco has not been told anything but if there is a shutdown they will join because the increase in the fuel price is shocking.
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