He was speaking at the launch of the Easter Road Safety Campaign held at the Springs Taxi Rank on Saturday.
Masina says that the number of road fatalities on our national roads sends shivers down his spine.
“We have taxi drivers who have never driven long distances in their lives but they now want to take the challenge, putting the lives of the passengers and other road users in danger.
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“They drive at a high speed and fail to rest because they want to make as many trips as possible to make more profit.
“We also have drivers who get behind the wheel while intoxicated and such drivers will be brought to book,” he says.
The MMC of Community Safety, Vivian Chauke, says that they are calling on all road users, including motorists and pedestrians, to be considerate on the road.
“They must adhere to the rules of the road and drive with caution.
“The statistics on the deaths on the roads are increasing every year, which shows that we refuse to abide by the rules of the roads,” she says.
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Taxi driver Jacob Mashabe, complains that taxi drivers are always blamed for being negligent on the roads.
“The small [vehicle] drivers are the worst drivers on the roads – they are always on their phones and overtake without observing.
“The abuse that we receive from the road police should also apply to the small vehicle drivers – they drive as if they own the roads,” he says.
Joseph says that they are also tired of being abused by their passengers.
“They switch on their big phones while sitting in the front seat, and the sun or the light is reflected on the screen and this obstructs the driver’s sight.
“When we call them out on this they swear and tell us that they paid and we should mind our business,” he says.
