Private property turns into a taxi rank in Springs
Daggafontein resident, George Janse van Rensburg (71), is worried about the new informal taxi rank that seems to be in establishment outside his residence.
For two weeks, George has been noticing that taxis park outside his yard waiting for commuters to arrive.
“Every morning, there are about 10 to 12 taxis that park here at a time,” he says.
“On Saturday mornings it’s even worse.”
The taxis situate themselves on George’s lawn, the veld across the road from his property, and around the corner of the house, depending on the number of taxis at the time.
This is an occurrence that happens throughout the day.
George also says that a large concern of his is the litter resulting from the commuters and the taxi drivers themselves.
“My lawn looks a mess every morning,” he says, “the taxi drivers just eat food and throw their litter on the ground once they are done.”
“I have to get my own people to clean up which is a huge burden for us.”
George raises safety concerns he and his tenants have because of the constant activity that is currently surrounding his premises.
“I have some flats on my property which I rent out,” he says, “so I have received numerous complaints and many concerns from my tenants about the safety and security of the property, now that there are a large number of people patrolling outside the premises.”
Officer of the Springs Taxi Association, Thomas Nkabinde, says that the association does not grant taxi drivers permission to operate from the outside of private residential properties, stating that all taxis are given permits giving them jurisdiction to operate from stipulated taxi ranks.
“Within the Daggafontein area, we allocate the taxis to work from the rank in the nearby informal settlement, not anywhere else,” says Nkabinde.
Residents are urged to report the matter to law enforcers, should they find themselves in such a situation.
“The report can be taken to the relevant officials and allow the law to takes its course,” says Nkabinde.
