Taxi operators will not rest until roads improve
This comes after some taxi operators barricaded the main roads of some of the City’s biggest townships, such as KaNyamazane and Pienaar, in a recent protest for better roads.
Taxi operators within the City of Mbombela have threatened to continue their fight for improved roads should government fail to meet their demands. This comes after some taxi operators barricaded the main roads of some of the City’s biggest townships, such as KaNyamazane and Pienaar, in a recent protest for better roads.
This action was soon supported by a handful of community members, especially motorists who were also of the opinion that government needed to address the many potholes and appalling roads within the City. During this protest, the taxi operators gave government 30 days to start attending to some of these routes, and failure to adhere to this would result in another protest action.
Most major roads within the City were damaged by the recent heavy rainfall and were never attended to. This has left many community members, including those within the public transport business, fuming. “We are prepared to fight to the bitter end for improved roads. It is not right that we are subjected to these roads on a daily basis while our leaders in government have the luxury of driving on better roads every day when going to work,” said a taxi operator during the protest.
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He continued, “We will be back on the streets after 30 days if there is no visible progress. “Yes, every day we spend on the roads protesting means our businesses suffer, but this is a sacrifice we are prepared to make until our roads are improved and safer. This is what we voted for.
“We will continue fighting for our roads until the department delivers on its promises. We will not take this lying down when our lives are put in danger. Potholes are everywhere in our areas. KaNyamazane, Tekwane and Pienaar have turned into the home of potholes. Bridges are also damaged, some are onthe brink of collapse, and yet government is silent. “We want the department to start with the temporary bridge at Tekwane South while it is still busy with the main one. This will lessen the burden of traffic as we now spend more than 30 minutes waiting to pass on that bridge.”
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Bongani Dhlamini, the spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, said a team had been assigned to look into the issues raised. “The department is fully aware that parts of Mbombela recently came to a standstill with commuters being left stranded as taxi operators blockaded main entry points leading into the city centre,” he said.
