Taxi-related violence in Gauteng has been happening with alarming regularity, claiming lives of taxi owners and sometimes civilians who are caught in the crossfire.
On Monday morning, three men were shot dead in Mofolo, Soweto. Police spokesperson Col Noxolo Kweza said shots were fired at about 8am from a silver-grey vehicle at a Toyota Corolla, killing three men, all belonging to a taxi association.
She said the shooting is believed to be taxi-related.
In the latest spate of incidents, last week, two taxi owners were shot dead at a filling station in Mabopane.
Last month, four people were shot and killed when a group of armed men stormed a taxi rank in Doornfontein in downtown Johannesburg and started shooting randomly. Three others were taken to hospital with injuries. One of the wounded was a university student who was waiting for a bus. The deceased all belonged to a taxi association.
Sowetan reported last week that at least 11 taxi owners were shot dead in March amid violent clashes between four taxi associations in Zonkizizwe, Ekurhuleni. The conflict allegedly stems from disputes over routes.
The Greater Germiston Taxi Association's Sakhile Mkhize said five of their members were shot and killed in Katlehong in March, while three from Faraday Taxi Association were gunned down, according to spokesperson Sihle Makhanya.
The Katlehong People’s Taxi Association's Sakhelwe Ngobese said they also lost three members during the same period. The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has called for stronger law enforcement after the Mabopane murders and other acts of violence afflicting the industry.
Santaco called on law enforcement to increase patrols, launch thorough investigations and implement stronger measures to ensure the safety of taxi operators and their passengers.
Taxi violence will not be curbed if those responsible for the killings are not brought to book and heavy sentences handed to the perpetrators
While this call for stronger law enforcement is a good one, taxi violence will not be curbed if those responsible for the killings are not brought to book and heavy sentences handed to the perpetrators.
The police and intelligence teams investigating these killings should not only focus on the hitmen, but also target those who have called the hits. Those who foment taxi violence would not be brazen if law enforcement was tough and perpetrators were punished.
While Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi announced in the state of the province address last year that the provincial department of roads and transport was working to swell its policing capacity to combat taxi violence, criminality and lawlessness, the recent high number of incidents of taxi-related violence suggests the department's efforts are not succeeding in fighting the lawlessness head-on.
The DA announced last month it will use all tools available in the Gauteng provincial legislature, including tabling a motion demanding Lesufi and relevant MECs present a concrete plan to address this crisis. It said clashes between rival taxi associations have resulted in multiple fatalities, road blockades and heightened fear among commuters and residents.
The cause of most of the taxi conflicts seem to be routes. This suggests that some routes are over-traded. Authorities responsible for issuing permits should ensure a balancing act by issuing permits that will not result in routes being over-traded.
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