Police: Taxi drivers deviated from agreed march route

Speaking to the media this morning, acting Gauteng police commissioner Major-General Eric Nkuna said police were deployed to ‘hotspots’ as per the permission given to the taxi owners by Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).

Provincial police spokesperson Kay Makhubela told The Citizen the police were fully prepared and their presence contained a situation that could otherwise have spiralled out of control.

“The police were deployed from midnight. They were informed about this thing which will happen, which is why they were able to respond and monitor the situation and clear the roadblocks,” he said.

Makhubela said the main reason “incidents” occurred, referring to the blockade of roads, was because the taxi drivers deviated for the agreed march route. Eighteen taxis were impounded opposite Mall of Africa on the M1. At the time, their drivers had abandoned them, causing major congestion.

He said most routes that were blockaded were not even on the routes the police gave permission to strike on. “For instance, in Pretoria, where I am now, no one sought permission to strike,” he explained.

READ MORE: Striking taxi owners peeved at R15k instalments and constant repossessions

Makhubela’s argument – that if taxi drivers had honoured the terms of their agreement with the police, the highway would not have been blocked – was backed by JMPD.

JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnar told The Citizen the agreement with the taxi associations was that “they will send 30 taxis from five regions of the city and release five taxis every 15 minutes to avoid traffic congestion”.

When queried on whether JMPD had contingency plans in case the striking taxi drivers deviated from the agreed route, Minnar said “unfortunately, an agreement is an agreement, and they broke it”.

For safety reasons, Metrorail cancelled all its trains in Johannesburg and Tshwane, while Gautrain, which was running on schedule, stopped its bus service to keep their drivers from being attacked.

Meanwhile, OR Tambo International Airport, announced that though it was not one of the six entities that the Mass Taxi Industry Protest Action Committee (MTIPAC) planned to target with its protest activities, management understood that certain highways and routes could also be subject to blockades or congestion.

“We are staying in close contact with the metro authorities and the South African Police Service in order to keep the routes into and out of the airport open,” said Leigh Gunkel-Keuler, spokesperson of OR Tambo International Airport.

http://https://www.citizen.co.za/news/news-national/taxi-strike-turns-violent/

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