IT seems KZN MEC for Transport Willies Mchunu’s personal intervention in the local taxi wars recently might not be the end of it.
In spite of a ‘peace pact’ being signed, angry Bambanani Taxi Association owners and drivers have now accused municipal officials and police of victimising them.
They claim members of the latter allegedly own taxis and are linked to the rival Gamalakhe Association.
Margate taxi rank came to a standstill when members of the association took their grievances to the street on Tuesday. They marched through Port Sheptstone to deliver a memorandum of grievances to HCM mayor Cynthia Mqwebu and Brigadier Agnes Nxamangele at the Port Shepstone Civic Centre.
They claimed that whenever there was taxi violence Bambanani was accused of being ‘the troublemakers’ while their rivals were let off.
The memorandum read that in February this year Bambanani was forced out of its loading zone (stand) at the Port Shepstone rank by the Gamalakhe Taxi Association. The HCM’s protection services did not act, they said. But when Bambanani ‘defended’ themselves the SAPS arrested their members and closed the rank.
Another incident on the memorandum was that in May this year Bambanani taxi drivers were attacked at the Port Shepstone Taxi Rank and they received no protection from SAPS or HCM protection service units.
The association gave both the municipality and SAPS until July 15 to address their grievances. Then, they warned that they would be returning to the Port Shepstone Taxi Rank. They demanded protection from the Port Shepstone SAPS and protection services and threatened to take the matter to court.
HCM mayor Cynthia Mqwebu promised that the municipality would respond within the given time.
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