Justice Project: Tshwane taxi protest ‘both unfortunate and misguided’

The Justice Project SA on Wednesday expressed concern over the issues raised by the taxi industry in Tshwane in their protest which wreaked havoc in the capital city.

The taxi industry embarked on an illegal strike on Wednesday complaining about law enforcement officers fining them which then prevent them from renewing their licences and professional driving permits.

JPSA said the protest is both unfortunate and misguided and showed “how little people know about the AARTO Act (Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences) which has been in force in Tshwane for more than nine years.

“An infringement notice issued in terms of the AARTO Act is subject to the so-called adjudication procedure which is prescribed in Chapter III of the AARTO Act which in turn caters for a ‘courtesy letter’ and an ‘enforcement order’ after prescribed periods after the service of an infringement notice has lapsed.

“Enforcement orders issued in terms of the AARTO Act are not the equivalent of a warrant of arrest. They do however block the issuing of a motor vehicle licence disc‚ a driving licence card and/or a professional driving permit.

“The Cities of Tshwane and Johannesburg have no say in which specific infringement notices become enforcement orders and these enforcement orders can only be issued by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA). Over the past few years‚ the RTIA has been issuing increased volumes of enforcement orders and in the 2015/16 financial year‚ 640‚169 enforcement orders were issued‚” JPSA explained.

Thousands of taxi drivers wreaked havoc in communities like Mabopane‚ Soshanguve‚ Atteridgeville and Mamelodi demanding that the Tshwane Metro Police Departments scrap their fines for traffic offences.

The taxi industry protest which engulfed the capital city was also taking its toll on commuters hoping to go to work. Many were seen standing on the side of the road and hiking.

In Ga-Rankuwa‚ the township north of Pretoria‚ the taxi industry upheaval was compounded by a service delivery protest that began on Tuesday.

JPSA said while the taxi drivers might well have a legitimate gripe regarding enforcement orders being issued against them‚ particularly in the absence of any trial‚ attacking members of the public and motorists‚ as well as causing mayhem is not the right way to go about it.

“Furthermore‚ the concept that traffic fines issued to minibus taxi drivers should be treated any differently to those issued to ordinary motorists is nonsensical and whomever it is who is allegedly negotiating special fine discounts for minibus taxi drivers should stop acting unlawfully since the AARTO Act does not cater for this.”