Meter taxi drivers carrying knobkerries swept through the Rosebank Gautrain station early on Wednesday morning recruiting others to join them in the #UberMustFall protests taking place in Pretoria.

According to security guards at the station‚ the armed taxi drivers jumped out of a minibus and started harassing other meter taxi drivers and taking the taxi signs off their vehicles.

“The meter taxi drivers were screaming at the Uber drivers‚ saying they don’t want them here and drove off‚” said a security guard who asked not to be named.

Meter taxi driver Thomas Dube‚ who had his sign taken away‚ said he was not keen on going to the protest‚ but said the protesters were adamant that no meter taxi would operate on Wednesday.

Holding a poster bearing the word “Taxi” just outside the station‚ Dube said violence against drivers has been escalating‚ but protesting against them would not be of much use as Uber is here to stay.

“They say‚ ‘If you can’t beat them‚ join them.’ But meter taxi drivers can’t be accommodated at Uber because our cars are too old and we can’t afford the new ones‚” said Dube. – TMG Digita