Several roads were closed as part of a march by taxi owners against illegal taxi operators on Wednesday(17 October).
About 200 taxis joined the protest that ended up at the Madiba Banquet Halls where local and provincial authorities received a memorandum.
While handing over the memorandum to Mr Malcolm Grimbeek, the director of public safety, the crowd demanded that local authorities impound illegal taxis as they were not safe for commuters.
‘There are cars here that have “Serve and Protect” written on them. Who are you serving and who are you protecting?’ asked Zwelibanzi May, one of the organisers of the march.
Grimbeek responded by saying they are in talks with the council to get more traffic officers in the municipality. He also gave the owners present an ominous warning. ‘Just remember, don’t come crying to my office when your own taxis are impounded,’ he said, reminding them that the laws apply to all vehicles. ‘The local authority does not issue permits and operating licences,’ he added.
The protesters also handed a memorandum over to the provincial department of transport, demanding that operating licences be extended from five years to 12 years.
This is the case with bus operators, they argued.
The group alleged corruption within the department and demanded that the department gets its house in order.
‘We are expecting an answer within 168 hours from today,’ said May.
