SOWETAN SAYS | Rein in marauding taxi thugs terrorising motorists on our roads

It’s hard to imagine the terror felt by a group of college students returning from a farewell event in Mpumalanga when they were confronted by gun-toting taximen along the N4 highway.

This incident, which this newspaper reported yesterday, happened on Saturday when men wearing Malalane Taxi Association reflector jackets stopped a minibus transporting the students. The men, according to the driver of the vehicle, Bheki Nkosi, demanded a R1,500 "spot fine" for transporting passengers while he did not belong to the association.

“I told them I didn't have such money and the only R400 I had was for tollgates and fuel. They then forced us to drive to the Malalane taxi rank. When we arrived there at about 4pm, they demanded my car keys and said now I'd have to pay R15,000 to have the vehicle back,” said Nkosi.

This incident has brought to bear the lawlessness that has become the character of the taxi industry operators who terrorise fellow road users. Our law enforcement has been lethargic when dealing with the unlawful acts of taxi operators on our roads. The lack of consequences has given rise to the culture of impunity.

Take for example several incidents reported in recent weeks where a taxi patrol car dangerously sought to block private vehicles on the same N4 highway for picking up passengers. Despite videos showing the taxi patrol car behind these acts of lawlessness and endangering the lives of other motorists, authorities are yet to arrest anyone. The shocking videos went viral on social media, yet our law enforcers appeared to be the only ones in the dark about such behaviour or who was behind it.

In fact, when asked what was being done to protect law-abiding citizens from the bullies in taxi patrol cars, authorities simply shrugged that they were still looking for them.  Weeks later, the Mpumalanga department of community safety is yet to tell the public they have managed to trace those behind the terror and subject them to the law.

Meanwhile, taxi operators behind these appalling acts continue to act outside the ambit of the law knowing that nothing will happen to them. In a free country where there is the rule of law, it is inconceivable that ordinary citizens are subjected to this harassment for picking up people on the side of the road or travelling in groups. It’s blatant violation of people’s rights and freedom of movement. This anarchy must be reined in.