METRO police have impounded several taxis in Pretoria after taxi drivers brought the city to a standstill.

The taxi drivers were yesterday protesting against the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality's move to remove them from what they regard as their legal taxi rank.

Frank Moremi of the Atteridgeville Saulsville Taxi Owners Association (Astoa) said: "The municipality claims it is cleaning up the city of illegal taxi ranks, but it has instead moved us from our legal rank and allowed illegal operators to use our facility."

Astoa claims it is being moved "to ensure that we are out of sight when the executive mayor and his staff move into the Batho Pele House building, which is opposite the rank".

"We operated peacefully when [former minister of Public Service and Administration] Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi occupied offices in the same building. Since January 11, we have been moved thrice and that is not good for our business," said Moremi.

Astoa's lawyer Ntopa Sikhu said he had written a letter to the municipality expressing dissatisfaction at the way his clients were being treated. Sikhu said after the treatment they received, "my clients are forced to approach the court".

Tshwane executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa told the media that the city would not tolerate taxis parking wherever they wanted to and vowed that "whoever undermines the administration's attempt to clean the city will be met with the full force of the law".

He said after dealing with chaotic parking in the city, they would move into the townships to ensure that taxis park at designated areas. "There will be friction but we will take it on the chin because we have a responsibility to run the city," he said.