Taxi associations in turf wars causing threat to human life to be put under administration

In a milestone ruling in an effort to curb taxi violence, the High Court in Pretoria endorsed the agreement signed by taxi bosses committing themselves to an end to violence in the industry.

Gauteng transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo, who had approached the court for a way forward, said the order by the court would help in curbing violence in the province.

In the order, the court ruled that when associations are fighting internally, or fighting with another association, causing threats to human life, they can be placed under administration, in consultation with the taxi industry.

Mamabolo further explained that an age-old tradition of how tariffs were paid to taxi bosses (through a bucket system) would be changed.

It was now legislated that money would be deposited into a bank account, and decisions to collect money should be documented, he said.

This was to curb an identified loophole in that this money paid through the bucket system was sometimes used to contract killers.

“Any decision to collect money should be a democratic process and clearly articulated that all members should agree that yes there is a reason to collect money as a form to document the process,” said Mamabolo.

Both the Gauteng South African National Taxi Council and the National Taxi Council agreed to sign the agreement committing themselves to modernise the industry and allowing the MEC for transport to intervene in the administration of unstable taxi turf war conflict.

The MEC would be empowered in consultation with the taxi industry to place associations under administration, appointing an administrator to act in consultation with the provincial structures of the industry.

The order would aid in closing the “leaking taps of cash liquidity feeding the beast of killers and murderers who found a lucrative market in the province”, said Mamabolo.

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