Taxi riots sow chaos

[datafreak]

Thousands of commuters were left stranded on Wednesday and large parts of Cape Town were plunged into chaos as rampaging taxi drivers threw stones at cars and buses and blocked buses from entering several areas.

At the time of going to press, police had arrested three people for public violence.

In Du Noon police also found two petrol bombs.

The violence is related to the planned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRT) which taxi operators say they are being excluded from.

Living so close to two taxi ranks, namely Bayside mall where they shouldn't even be, and the Killarney taxi depot where they should all go, i always get concerned over their total disregard for the public, their customers, or the law.

How does it serve their purpose to damage private property and cause mayhem? How about parking all those taxis in front of parliament and voicing your discontent at how the transport department is handling the situation?

Dont throw stones at my car, that wont get you anything... and dont block off the roads, one day i might just snap and pull a p.i.t. maneuver on you, beware

Read the article here

 

[Gothan]

Well it started with liberation before education and went all scewed from there

 

[USZA]

Judging from the article, there is chaos just about everywhere taxis operate. Funny enough, it doesn't seem that the usual commuters are too amused by this action, which is a good thing. So who are the people protesting and stoning cars then?

Another thing: Bus Rapid Transport System (BRT) is exactly that - for buses you idiots. Since you don't want to subject yourself to regulation, don't expect to be included in government plans; this situation, is one of your own making.

As for stoning private cars, it just goes to show how misguided these people are. Btw, I don't think that short-term insurance covers damage due to public uprising, or does it? I'm asking because my car parks at Claremont station, right next to the taxi terminus.

 

[genetic]

The city needs to take a zero tollerance approach with these lawless thugs that run the taxi industries. If they (the thugs) want to disrupt public transportation, the authorities should use any means possible and any amount of force to quell the chaos.

 

[CrazyMadMan]

Zero tollerance, rubber bullets, tear gas, and get back to work you morons.

 

[armitage]

Gotta say it was quite nice having no taxis on the road this morning.....not that i ride to work at the mo....just my walky to the station was a lot clearer than normal.
Too bad im not driving my car down voortrekker this afternoon. Woulda loved to see how fast flowing the traffic will be without those idiots blocking everything.

 

[OhGats]

Its amazing, the taxi drivers do not give a proverbial hoot for anybody except their back pockets. They are prepared to drag this country down into a quagmire of chaos because of their bottom line. Its about time they called in the army and started crushing some of those deathtraps and get them into line. Wait till 2010 comes along, its gonna be chaos with those fools on the roads

 

[noxibox]

Zero tollerance, rubber bullets, tear gas, and get back to work you morons.

To hell with that. Keep the public away, bring in snipers and kill the leaders. If that does not quell it bring in the military and just start killing them all.

 

[daveza]

It would be interesting to hear what the 2010 optimists have to say about this.

A comment on the radio was made to the effect that ' if needs be the military will step in to control the taxis if they threaten the World Cup '.

This of course begs the question - well they are threatening peoples livelihood right now so where is the military !

The Taxi mafia has time and again held the country to ransom and it is no secret they are above the law and could care less for legislation.

Imagine the man in the street deciding to blockade all the taxi stations, blocking the NI and N2 - would the powers that be stand by saying ' we can do nothing ' ?

It may be that the taxi industry is vital to our economy blah blah blah but it's time to rethink.

Crush them and make another plan before they make the country even more ungovernable than it already is.

Mediation is for monks - bring out the tanks and finish them once and for all.

 

[waynegohl]

how is it possible that these thugs can hold a government to ransom. this is unfair labour practice and they are trying to sabotage the competion. do these guys even pay taxes or anything?

 

[capetownguy]

1. Taxi operators were involved in the BRT process since day 1, which included taking them to Bogota, Colombia and Brazil to see how the local taxi industry there became a part of the success that is BRT

2. 6 BRT contracts have been awarded in Cape Town i.e. close to R700 million and work will continue on schedule

3. Its taxi drivers and their "assistants" rather than taxi bosses that are against BRT simply because they don't understand the benefits

4. The strike was probably not related to BRT. Each strike will now be a BRT issue when instead they are just pissed off that government won't subsidize an unregulated industry.

 

[daveza]

That's all well and good, but what does it mean in practice ?

The drivers and assistants are immune to the law and will continue to be so.
The implication is that taxi mayhem will continue exactly as it is now - and may in fact get worse when those not in the BRT realise they are left out.

 

[waynegohl]

maybe they are upset because they may not be allowed to ride on pavements or on the wrong side of the road or stop wherever and whenever they want.

 

[USZA]

3. Its taxi drivers and their "assistants" rather than taxi bosses that are against BRT simply because they don't understand the benefits

4. The strike was probably not related to BRT. Each strike will now be a BRT issue when instead they are just pissed off that government won't subsidize an unregulated industry.

Point 3 - well put; I couldn't have said it better. This was my thinking too when I heard about this strike.

Point 4 - good on the government for not subsidizing an unregulated industry. If the government is going to invest in the taxi industry, it has to have some form of control over its investment. Do they think that govt. is a charity organisation?

 

[Blaze786]

Point 3 - well put; I couldn't have said it better. This was my thinking too when I heard about this strike.

Point 4 - good on the government for not subsidizing an unregulated industry. If the government is going to invest in the taxi industry, it has to have some form of control over its investment. Do they think that govt. is a charity organisation?

Half of SA believes the government is a charity organisation, so why not the taxi drivers... They are a bunch of low life thugs, that can't even do the 1 function in life that makes them useful... Drive.

 

[windowlicker]

Living so close to two taxi ranks, namely Bayside mall where they shouldn't even be, and the Killarney taxi depot where they should all go, i always get concerned over their total disregard for the public, their customers, or the law.

How does it serve their purpose to damage private property and cause mayhem? How about parking all those taxis in front of parliament and voicing your discontent at how the transport department is handling the situation?

Dont throw stones at my car, that wont get you anything... and dont block off the roads, one day i might just snap and pull a p.i.t. maneuver on you, beware

Read the article here

Whether their behaviour is nice or not so nice its called activism and gets things done. Sucks, but that's the way the world rolls unfortunately.

EDIT

In this instance a protest has turned into a riot

 

[daveza]

In this instance a protest has turned into a riot

That's what happens to most if not all taxi protests.

 

[noxibox]

Whether their behaviour is nice or not so nice its called activism

It is not activism, it is deliberate, orchestrated violence. This is now the third time they have done this.

and gets things done.

It should get them a bullet in the head.