The Gauteng government has given warring taxi association members 14 days to get their house in order or face closure of all its operations.

At least 10 influential people within the Vaal Wits Taxi Association (VWTA) have been shot and killed in the past six years. They include three chairmen and four executive members and their taxi drivers.

In December last year Gauteng roads and transport MEC Ishmael Vadi suspended the services of this association for about a month because of violence.

Sowetan has learnt that a group calling itself the founders or stalwarts of the VWTA, which has 162 members who operate more than 300 taxis in the Vaal, Johannesburg and Pretoria, is clashing with the association's executive committee over the running of the group.

It is alleged that the founders want to forcibly incorporate taxis from the KwaZulu-Natal-based Sizwe Taxi Association into the VWTA's routes.

The battle has landed at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg after the committee applied for an interdict in March in an attempt to stop the founders from interfering with the running of the organisation.

Earlier this month gunmen shot and killed VWTA chairman Velaphi "Spokes" Nxuwa in Vereeniging.

Now the department of roads and transport has sent a letter to the VWTA threatening to temporarily close all its Joburg operations within 14 days.

The department said it had taken this step because of the violence, lack of stability within the organisation, and harassment of taxi drivers who are forced to pay an illegal collection fee.

A letter issued by the department's acting chief director, Modise Sojane, notes that the violence points "to instability within Vaal Wits, with particular reference to Johannesburg branch and continuous threat to loss of life which cannot be tolerated any longer".

"Hence, the office for registration and licensing has no option but to officially close all the Johannesburg operations of the Vaal Wits within 14 days upon receipt of this official notice of intent."

Members of VWTA were expected to hold a special general meeting today to formulate a response to the department.

Taximen said they live in constant fear and told Sowetan they have learnt that hitmen are allegedly being paid up to R500000 to kill each executive member of the VWTA.

"After they killed Nxuwa I've started receiving anonymous calls from people who threaten to kill me," said VWTA vice-chairman Oupa Ndimande.

"There's no way I'm running away. We know that people have been offered R500000 for every committee member they kill," he said.

The SA National Taxi Council said it would not intervene immediately in the matter.

sifilel@sowetan.co.za