Taxi operators threaten motorists who pick up hitchhikers
Several videos of taxi operators intimidating and threatening motorists who want to assist hitchhikers in the Polokwane area have surfaced on social media.
POLOKWANE – Some of the motorists even had their vehicle keys taken away from them. One motorists, who says he willingly picked up hitchhikers, has stopped doing so in fear for his life.
He opted to remain anonymous. The man told Polokwane Observer that these incidents in which motorists are threatened, have been happening for the past three years, ‘and although it is illegal, taxi operators seem not to care’.
In some of the videos shared on social media, a mob of taxi operators can be seen surrounding vehicles on the N1 close to the traffic circle on Nelson Mandela Drive where they force commuters out of vehicles and tell the motorists to stop picking up hitchhikers.
The man, who was also a victim, says on average he would be stopped once a month despite using social media to hitchhikers and only using the hiking spots as a pick-up point.
“I created a page where people who need lifts would contact me and we would arrange the logistics of travelling. If the person stays in Nirvana or Ivy Park, I would arrange to pick them up at the circle as it is the most convenient point. The last few times, before I stopped transporting people, were really scary because one of the operators who stopped me pulled out a gun out and threatened to shoot if I did not tell the people in my vehicle to get out. Luckily one of the passengers also had a gun on him and the operators backed off.”
He says in a separate incident, he was also threatened with a knife and his vehicle’s tyres slashed.
“These guys don’t want to negotiate and they are not willing to hear the other side of the story. I understand that they are concerned about making a living but I also have mouths to feed.”
Frans Kgasago, public relations officer for the Limpopo National Taxi Alliance, says the alliance distances itself from any acts of intimidation, threats or withholding of car keys because those are criminal offences.
“To our knowledge, none of our members are involved in these acts. All we know is that we have had multiple complaints of hitch-hikers falling victim to crime after getting into the wrong vehicle and what our operators usually do is to keep an eye on these vehicles.”
He says when their operators are at hitch-hiking spots, they are only there to look out for the reported criminals and not the general public.
According to Kgasago, the taxi operators are protecting residents and their own jobs in this way as people who get robbed often turn to them for assistance in getting home.
“When you transport that person you lose money and by keeping an eye on suspicious vehicles we prevent the situation from happening again. If we do spot the people then the police are immediately called and they take over.”
The media liaison officer for Transport, Mike Maringa, says there are perimeters that govern where commuters can hitch-hike, taking into consideration whether there is a taxi or bus rank in the vicinity.
“In Polokwane there is no law that prohibits people from hitch-hiking and taxi operators are also not allowed to stop people from doing so.
“Hitch-hiking is a personal choice but people need to take the law into consideration.”
