Bheki Cele won't budge on Mthatha taxi route ban

Police Minister Bheki Cele left many taxi association leaders dejected when he insisted that taxi ranks and routes in Mthatha and the surrounding areas remain indefinitely closed.

Leaders of feuding Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Associations (Bata) who claimed to have reconciled and drafted a peace accord‚ hoped to meet Cele with their proposal in the hope he would give it a thumbs-up.

Cele was in Mthatha for a MinMec meeting‚ but later addressed a bigger meeting‚ including taxi bosses‚ clergy and traditional leaders over issues of crime‚ but also touched on the taxi violence and the subsequent ban.

”We shut the taxis down here because 60 people died within 18 months. Since we shut the taxis down nobody has died‚ which means that they can live side-by-side and don’t do it.”

The Minister‚ who on Thursday did not interact directly with the taxi bosses‚ promised to return soon to meet with them.

- Daily Dispatch