THE uMhlanga CBD has been brought to a standstill as hundreds of taxis have blocked major routes in and out of the area.
Umhlanga Rocks Drive near the bridge (going in and out of the village), the M4 on and off-ramps, as well as Lagoon Drive and Lighthouse Drive, have been closed, and the roads are gridlocked.
It is believed the blockade involving more than 50 taxis is related to negotiations around establishing a temporary rank in uMhlanga.
At a public meeting in March this year, the eThekwini Municipality held a public meeting on the options for establishing both temporary and final bus and taxi ranks in the village.
However, no consensus has yet been made.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Metro Police are currently on scene monitoring the situation.
Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Boysie Zungu said a meeting is scheduled to occur on Tuesday in an effort to clear the blockade.
“There is a meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon between ratepayers, business owners and taxi bosses. We are advising motorists to avoid the area as traffic is severely affected,” he said.
uMhlanga Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (URRA) chairperson, Terry MacLarty, said she has sent messages to the eThekwini Traffic Authority (ETA), City mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and the speaker of the house to attend the meeting.
“A meeting has been called, and we’ve insisted these officials attend because they are the ultimate decision-makers in this dispute. I do believe there needs to be a proper dialogue between taxi bosses, the community and the City regarding the finalisation of a taxi rank. I believe the taxi drivers and commuters are not being considered in this decision. They are part of the community, and a temporary taxi rank needs to be established as soon as possible. At the same time, we cannot allow for the law to be broken. We are asking for meaningful dialogue because this affects residents and visitors as well as businesses in the area,” she said.
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