The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Roads and Transport Portfolio committee held an urgent meeting on Wednesday with taxi bosses in a bid to bring peace and stability to the troubled industry.
Taxi violence is in the spotlight after a spate of killings‚ including the massacre of 11 people returning to Johannesburg from a funeral by gunmen in KwaZulu-Natal. The twelfth victim died later in hospital. Another taxi boss was shot dead outside his house in Alexandra‚ Johannesburg‚ on Monday.
“The committee received and welcomed presentations from the leadership of the taxi industry and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport on what they perceive to be the major contributors of fuelling violence in the industry and what could be done to end the violence‚” said committee chairperson Mafika Mgcina.
“The leadership of the taxi industry took ownership of the ongoing violence in the industry and blames some operators who do not adhere to the regulations of the industry by operating in routes not allocated to them.