Taxi drivers and their supporters march from the taxi rank to the police station in Nyanga on Monday morning.
Commuters traveling to work and school from Nyanga and surrounding areas were left stranded at taxi ranks on Monday morning after taxi operators suspended services over safety concerns.
This follows the torching of nine taxis last week, and comes nearly a month after a deadly shooting at the rank. A year ago, taxis were also set alight at the rank. The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) alleges that taxis were burnt at their rank by their rivals who want to disrupt operations at the rank.
Under a heavy police presence on Monday, dozens of drivers marched to the Nyanga police station, demanding better policing and the proper investigation of extortion cases. They said there has been no progress in cases recently opened by CATA members.
Taxi services resumed after the march.
Taxi driver Thembekile Mlandu said the decision to protest was taken at a meeting on Sunday afternoon.
“We are fed up with unresolved cases. The police are not taking us seriously. Nyanga taxi rank is a hotspot when it comes to violence,” he said.
Police formed a barrier outside the police station on Monday.
CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said several taxi operators and bosses had been shot dead in the past three years as a result of taxi violence, but investigations had produced little or no results.
Parent Nomsingathi Vingciza said she and other parents had kept their children at home due to the tensions in the taxi industry.
“We were scared to send our children to school. Most times when taxi operators strike, there is violence,” said Vingciza.
Addressing drivers outside the station, Mzikayise Ndzuzo, speaking on behalf of the Nyanga police commander, said investigations were often hindered because taxi operators did not cooperate with the police.
“In the incident last Friday, we did not get a single statement from the taxi operators, and this affected our investigations. We opened the cases ourselves because no taxi operator came forward to register a case,” said Ndzuzo.
In response, Sityebi said they will open a case related to the arson at the rank by the end of the day.
Drivers gave the Nyanga police seven days to respond to their memorandum of demands. If there is no response, they say the matter will be escalated to the provincial commissioner and national SAPS management.
Taxis did not operate from the Nyanga taxi rank on Monday morning.
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