KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi managed to get protesting taxi owners to clear blocked Westville roads on Friday after brief negotiations.
Disgruntled taxi owners had reportedly told their drivers to block Umgeni and Argyle roads and the N3 near the Pavilion mall in Westville, Durban.
Mkhwanazi arrived on the scene and spoke to the taxi owners, asking them to clear the roads and promising to set up a meeting with the provincial transport department. The taxi owners complained about being “overly penalised” by metro police.
“The problem is that you [taxis] have blocked the roads and people are now trapped. You again blocked the freeway and people are disadvantaged by that. What upsets me the most is that when police want to do their jobs, the young men [taxi drivers] you hired tell us to talk to the owners because you guys said they must block the roads. When police take action, they fight,” Mkhwanazi told the taxi owners.
“You cannot break the law then when the police do their work, you fight them. When you decide to fight police, let it be clear that you are starting war. We have no intention of fighting with you. We agreed that on Sunday we will have a meeting.”
The taxi owners responded: “No we are not fighting.”
WATCH:
WATCH | ‘When you fight police, you start war,’ Mkhwanazi tells protesting taxi owners as he pleads for calm
Image: Darren Stewart
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi managed to get protesting taxi owners to clear blocked Westville roads on Friday after brief negotiations.
Disgruntled taxi owners had reportedly told their drivers to block Umgeni and Argyle roads and the N3 near the Pavilion mall in Westville, Durban.
Mkhwanazi arrived on the scene and spoke to the taxi owners, asking them to clear the roads and promising to set up a meeting with the provincial transport department. The taxi owners complained about being “overly penalised” by metro police.
“The problem is that you [taxis] have blocked the roads and people are now trapped. You again blocked the freeway and people are disadvantaged by that. What upsets me the most is that when police want to do their jobs, the young men [taxi drivers] you hired tell us to talk to the owners because you guys said they must block the roads. When police take action, they fight,” Mkhwanazi told the taxi owners.
“You cannot break the law then when the police do their work, you fight them. When you decide to fight police, let it be clear that you are starting war. We have no intention of fighting with you. We agreed that on Sunday we will have a meeting.”
The taxi owners responded: “No we are not fighting.”
WATCH:
Traffic has come to a standstill along the N3 on both the south and north bound in Westville, Durban, following a taxi strike. Earlier this morning some roads in parts of the city were also blockaded. SABC News reporter Vusi Khumalo joins us for the latest. For more news, visit sabcnews.com and #SABCNews on all Social Media platforms.
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