The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has been asked to intervene in the ongoing taxi feud between Bambanani Taxi Association and Gamalakhe Taxi Association.
Operations in both associations came to an abrupt halt on Monday and Tuesday last week, after a dispute broke out between them.
According to eye witnesses, the Port Shepstone CBD was strewn with rocks, shattered glass and blood stains after the fight.
Concerned commuter Lindokuhle Hadebe said the conflict is putting the lives of ordinary people at risk and could lead to the unnecessary loss of lives.
“We call upon the involved stakeholders in the ongoing conflict to find amicable solutions to their differences. They must take note that this violence is putting thousands of lives on hold since people are having difficulties in reaching their desired destinations. Some are unable to get to work on time and this makes them vulnerable to dismissals. We humbly request that the involved taxi associations in the ongoing conflict to consider the consequences the feud has on the poor masses,” said Hadebe.
Meanwhile, SANTACO KZN spokesperson, Mduduzi Makhunga, told Fever that they thought the conflict between the two associations had been cleared after a meeting in early January.
“We are aware that there is a feud between Gamalakhe Taxi Association and Bambanani Taxi Association. In early January, we convened a meeting with the two associations and the KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison to find a solution to the problem, we read out the routes to them, clearly and they understood that,” said Makhunga.
He added that the permit clearly states that no association is entitled to the Marine Drive/Margate route; the two associations, Gamalakhe and Bambanani are both allowed to pick up passengers on Marine Drive en-route to where they are dropping off commuters.
Makhunga said no one is allowed to rank their taxis in Shelly Beach or Port Shepstone with the intention to commute passengers on the Marine Drive route, saying it is against the permit.
Also, Makhunga said the two associations have also taken each other to court over the route, adding that regardless of their court application, they are still obligated to stick to the permit.
“We told them that it is important for them to stick to the permits, not to do as they please and pick commuters where they are not supposed to. As SANTACO in KZN we thought that they are still sticking to permits. It is shocking to hear that the two associations are still fighting each other for that route, we will be following up on the matter again,” said Makhunga.
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