SOWETAN SAYS | Root out graft to deal with taxi violence

Over the past few months, there have been positive signs that priority crimes are declining across the country.

These include murder, robbery and sexual offences, which decreased significantly in the last quarter of 2024.

This is a positive step in the fight against violence in our society as borne by latest crime statistics released by police minister Senzo Mchunu last month.

However, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape remained areas of concern for fighting crime and policing according to Mchunu.

For residents of Katlehong in Ekurhuleni, where taxi violence and general crime have claimed the lives of more than a dozen people in March, there isn’t much to be hopeful about.

A week ago, a taxi owner was ambushed and shot multiple times by gunmen as he left a block where his taxis operate from. His death brought to at least 11 people killed in an apparent taxi feud in the area according to several taxi associations that spoke to Sowetan.

His killing also came on the back of other murders of young people in the community by unknown gunmen. In both incidents, no one has been arrested, though police say they have heightened their presence in the area to solve the crimes.

What these cases highlight however is the state’s failure to create safer and better communities not only by deploying law enforcement to investigate cases but also through crime prevention. Enforcement once a crime has been committed is not enough to solve our crime dilemma. What is also needed is community intelligence led response to violent crime and understanding what fuels it to prevent it from happening.

We cannot be solving crime without addressing the root cause of the problem. In the case of taxi violence that has gripped Katlehong, the problem appears to have been caused by feuds of routes which are allocated through operating licences by the department of transport. To effectively address this problem, the state needs to root out corruption at public transport licensing centres where competing associations obtain their permits.

Crime prevention is another way of dealing effectively with crime and to do this police will need more boots on the ground in Katlehong, for example, to bring the violence to an end. Anecdotal evidence from the community suggests there is simply not enough police officers and vehicles deployed in the area to deal with high levels of crime.

The cries of the community of Katlehong and others affected by the violent crime must be heard and action taken before more lives are lost.

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