Commuters travelling from KwaDabeka to work and school, will only know at the 11th hour if a taxi strike will continue on Wednesday.
Clermont and KwaDabeka Taxi Association spokesperson Sbusiso Khanyezi told TimesLIVE Premium a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday evening to “decide the next step”.
“At this stage, I cannot tell you what will happen on Wednesday. We will know what is happening once this meeting happens,” he said.
Hundreds of commuters were left stranded on Tuesday after taxi operators parked their vehicles in protest over the 25 taxis that Durban Metro Police impounded on Friday.
The impounding of the taxis came a day after an e-hailing driver was shot and another assaulted, allegedly by taxi operators, in the area.
Fifteen taxi drivers and owners were taken in for questioning on Thursday.
Durban Metro Police spokesperson Col Boysie Zungu told TimesLIVE Premium on Tuesday that the vehicles were impounded for operating without valid route permits.
“The Durban Metro Police remains committed to upholding law and order, ensuring compliance with the rules of the road and safeguarding the lives of commuters and other road users. We urge all operators to comply with regulations and operate responsibly,” he said.
Zungu said police informed operators during a meeting on Monday that they could show up with valid documentation the next day for the vehicles to be released, however they were a no-show.
“We know that there was a problem because some permits did not match the new number plate so we told the drivers to bring their permits to match the VIN number. We told them to come to us with proper documentation including receipts to show they had applied for permits. But they didn’t show up.”
“Our office is still open, but for now we have police monitoring the protest,” he said.
Khanyezi said operators did not show up with their permits on Tuesday because they wanted all 25 vehicles to be released.
“We want all the vehicles back so they can go back into operation. We do not want just one or two back,” he said.
Meanwhile the KwaZulu-Natal transport department was informed on Monday night that police and the taxi operators had “agreed on how to resolve these challenges.
“The MEC is confident that eThekwini municipality and the association will find a long-lasting solution. It is unfortunate that passengers and community members at large, including students have been inconvenienced.
“It is for these reasons that the MEC for transport and human settlements Siboniso Duma has assigned a dedicated and hardworking team from the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) to monitor the developments.
“He has undertaken to ensure that support is extended to all parties involved in the interest of stability and peace,” said departmental spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya.
Duma said parties must work together to project an image of a province that is hard at work.
“He called on all parties to pull in the same direction to ensure stability in the public transport sector in the interest of members of the public. The MEC is in Vryheid engaging with police management at Hlobane police station ahead of the introduction of a contractor to construct P46/2 in Vryheid.
“He will also engage the community before midday. He has requested the PRE team to be closer to the situation and brief him regularly. He has offered to act accordingly and with speed based on the reports from the PRE team,” said Sibiya.
The latest incident between taxis and e-hailing services follows a month of clashes in which 27-year-old e-hailing driver Mthokozisi Mvelase was murdered outside Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg, recently in an attack believed to be linked to taxi violence.
Last week Ekurhuleni metro police arrested five taxi marshals who were allegedly giving spot fines of between R3,000 and R6,000 to motorists in Thembisa for using their vehicles to go to the nearby mall.
They were allegedly forcing people to use taxis, not their private vehicles or e-hailing services.
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