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Binary_Bark
Forging
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- Feb 24, 2016
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Taxi violence in Gauteng was spiralling out of control despite efforts to contain and address it. This was the admission of Roads and Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo, one of the first witnesses to give testimony at the first sitting of the Commission of Inquiry into Taxi Violence in Parktown, Johannesburg on Thursday.
Mamabolo has been central to trying to defuse a feud between two taxi associations in Soweto — the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) and the Witwatersrand Taxi Association (Wata).
He said interacting with leaders of the two associations revealed just how deep and widespread the problems in the taxi industry ran.
“It became clear that the problems affected many other taxi associations. The associations said the main problem was corruption in the issuing of permits and operating licences,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo said as his department was dealing with Nanduwe and Wata, violence broke out in other areas between other associations and this had threatened to turn the whole province into a war zone. Mamabolo said this was the reason the taxi summit was held earlier in 2019.
“It was a mechanism to temporarily put the violence on hold,” said Mamabolo.
“So, you are saying that the issue of Nanduwe and Wata is just a tip of the iceberg?” evidence leader Nano Matlala asked Mamabolo, to which the MEC answered: “Yes.”
Mamabolo said taxi violence was spiralling out of control despite resolutions to eradicate violence going back three years to the 2016 taxi summit.
“It was clear to me that the problems run deep and required a holistic approach,” Mamabolo said.
Matlala put it to MEC Mamabolo that it seemed the problems — corruption around the issuing of permits and the free flow of guns — in the taxi industry had been identified and noted, but the issue seemed to be implementation of measures to combat this. Mamabolo agreed and said that as part of the department’s interventions, a provincial monitoring and evaluating team was put together. He said the team sat every month and results were starting to show.
www.dailymaverick.co.za
Mamabolo has been central to trying to defuse a feud between two taxi associations in Soweto — the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) and the Witwatersrand Taxi Association (Wata).
He said interacting with leaders of the two associations revealed just how deep and widespread the problems in the taxi industry ran.
“It became clear that the problems affected many other taxi associations. The associations said the main problem was corruption in the issuing of permits and operating licences,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo said as his department was dealing with Nanduwe and Wata, violence broke out in other areas between other associations and this had threatened to turn the whole province into a war zone. Mamabolo said this was the reason the taxi summit was held earlier in 2019.
“It was a mechanism to temporarily put the violence on hold,” said Mamabolo.
“So, you are saying that the issue of Nanduwe and Wata is just a tip of the iceberg?” evidence leader Nano Matlala asked Mamabolo, to which the MEC answered: “Yes.”
Mamabolo said taxi violence was spiralling out of control despite resolutions to eradicate violence going back three years to the 2016 taxi summit.
“It was clear to me that the problems run deep and required a holistic approach,” Mamabolo said.
Matlala put it to MEC Mamabolo that it seemed the problems — corruption around the issuing of permits and the free flow of guns — in the taxi industry had been identified and noted, but the issue seemed to be implementation of measures to combat this. Mamabolo agreed and said that as part of the department’s interventions, a provincial monitoring and evaluating team was put together. He said the team sat every month and results were starting to show.
TAXI VIOLENCE INQUIRY: Taxi wars spiralling out of control despite efforts for peace, inquiry told
On the first day of the Commission of Inquiry into taxi violence in Gauteng, it emerged that solving the violence in the industry would take a lot more than suspending taxi operations and closing taxi ranks in affected areas. The absence of law enforcement around the taxi industry also came...
www.dailymaverick.co.za
No, they are not fuelling it. The industry is. These guys are just profiteers.
