TAXI BLOCKADE: Mtamvuna River bridge is open to traffic
Taxi owners from Bambanani Taxi Association and other community members blocked the bridge earlier this morning.
Large tow trucks were used to remove the trucks blocking the Mtamvuna River bridge (CH Mitchell Bridge).
Taxi owners from Bambanani Taxi Association and other community members blocked the bridge earlier this morning, and motorists were stuck for hours unable to drive to the Eastern Cape and vice-versa.
The PRO for Bambanani, Martin Ngcungama, said that some members of the association are unhappy with Operation Shanela, which operates under the Department of Transport, targeting just their taxis.
About 30 of Bambanani’s taxis were impounded over the last week.
According to Ngcungama, Bambanani has been removed by other associations from their stands in Port Shepstone and their passengers have had to use other taxis to get to their destinations.
He added that their permits as Bambanani were changed to accommodate other associations to operate on some of their routes.
“We have also been blamed for the fight between Bambanani and Gamalakhe associations, but we blame the Department of Transport because they caused all this by changing our permits and not allowing us to operate in Margate.”
Ngcungama said that traffic will start flowing as usual as soon as the trucks are removed.
Affected areas were KwaNzimakwe, Gcilima, KwaXolo, Port Edward and parts of KwaNositha.
The Department of Transport was contacted for comment, but no response has been received as yet.
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