Since April this year, at least 60 people have been killed in the ongoing war between the taxi drivers and e-hailing drivers. This includes one e-hailing driver who was killed during the recent violence that occurred at Maponya Mall in Soweto. How many more lives should be lost for Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government to act and save the lives of commuters and drivers who are in danger?
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng demands that Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Roads and Logistics, Kedibone Diale Tlabela, immediately engage their national counterparts, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia, to intervene and assist the province in dealing with the ongoing war and violence between the taxi industry and e-hailing.
The regulations under the National Land Transport Amendment Act and the Transport Appeal Tribunal Amendment Act of the e-hailing system must be published. Furthermore, there should be continuous engagement with the taxi industry on how they can be assisted, as many are unregulated and informal. This will help ensure tolerance, unity, and collaboration in delivering services to the province.
Many shopping malls have designated areas for e-hailing drivers to pick up their passengers; however, because of the intimidation they face daily from taxi drivers, many malls have become no-go zones for e-hailing drivers.
This takes away our commuters’ right to choose the preferred mode of transport they would prefer to use to get to and from work. Failure by the government to intervene in the current situation in the taxi industry and e-hailing industry will result in more innocent lives being lost.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would immediately engage all stakeholders in the public transport industry to determine the cause of the ongoing clashes between e-hailing and the taxi industry. Furthermore, we would increase the number of anti-crime wardens in known hotspot areas and work with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Commuters cannot be held hostage by one part of the public transport industry because they feel that ‘business’ is being taken away from them. Competition in any industry is normal, but ongoing fights cannot be the norm.