MEC: Violence in taxi industry should be avoided

Transport and Community Safety MEC, Mavhungu Lurule-Ramakhanya believes taxi organisations and associations in the province have the ability to find common ground.
Last week, taxi operators from the Seshego Polokwane Taxi Association blocked Nelson Mandela and Polokwane Drives to forestall taxis from Moletjie Taxi Association from operating in Seshego and picking up commuters in the area to Polokwane and Moletjie.
The move ensued in riots between the two associations after the taxi operators from Seshego also blocked the arterial routes used by the Moletjie Taxi Association.
The fracas left commuters in the lurch as they were unable to access taxis to and from their homes and workplaces.
Speaking at the department’s Taxi Lekgotla in Polokwane on Tuesday, Lurule-Ramakhanya said the critical issue of taxi violence in the province cannot remain unsolved.
“We have a responsibility as citizens to act within the confinement of the law and regulations governing our respective industries. The province continued to recognise taxi associations as the primary building blocks of the industry,” Lurule-Ramakhanya said.
She also made a clarion call to all our public transport users to create and maintain a cordial relationship with operators.
A healthy relationship will go a long way in growing the industry and to keep it economically viable.
“Millions of our people rely on public transport to transit to their places of work and other various destinations on a daily basis.
“Our people depend on us as a collective to improve the state of public transport in the province. It is our wish as a department to oversee associations that are prepared and willing to resolve their differences without resorting to violence. We have developed mechanisms to regulate operations but some routes remain resilient to any form of change.”

Story: Herbert Rachuene