Bosses and drivers fear continuing violence

The recent taxi war has been recorded as one of the most violent incidents to date.

Scarily, taxi drivers are of the opinion that it won’t be ending any time soon either.

“The violence has moved from the taxi rank, but now they are fighting at people’s homes and attacking families,” said a taxi boss speaking on condition of anonymity.

He raised an important question.

“What do you expect me to do when they are attacking my family and friends?”

He said the reason for the violence was simple.

“This is the bread and butter of every driver out there. Of course they will get violent of they feel it is threatened. ”

Although the violence has calmed down somewhat, tension between associations is palpable, and many believe it will be reaching a breaking point soon.

The taxi boss claimed there was no political imbalances between the organisations, but that the drivers themselves fought for better business opportunities.

“The taxi council regulates the associations so that their is a competitive but fair market. The drivers want to be able to monopolise the market, and we bosses are the ones who pay the price when the police shut down the ranks,” he said.

He explained that safety of his taxi’s passengers was of the utmost importance, and he no longer allowed his drivers to venture into the taxi ranks while carrying passengers.

However, when asked about a way forward, he could not suggest any and said the violence would continue until the drivers believed their work was justified.