KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. | KZN Government
Durban — Fearing the economic and social instability, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has intervened in a tense stand-off between the Transport MEC Siboniso Duma and the Durban Long Distance Taxi Association bosses.
The Premier, together with Duma, will meet with the aggrieved taxi operator on Thursday (today) in Pietermaritzburg in a bid to find a solution between the government and taxi bosses. The Premier’s office said Ntuli was concerned with an impasse that had disrupted transport services across the province.
The strike has led to significant disruptions, including the blocking of major highways such as the N3, Hluhluwe, Vryheid, Mondlo, Babanango, Dalton and Nkandla, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and unable to travel between Durban and other towns and cities, the office of the premier said.
“KwaZulu-Natal citizens and commuters must come first. We cannot allow the current situation, where hundreds of thousands of people are stranded and unable to reach their destinations, to continue,” read the statement.
Ntuli’s intervention came amid fears of violent confrontations between the defiant taxi operator and police following the announcement of a crackdown by the police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Duma, who vowed to deal harshly with the wayward behaviour of taxi owners who had blocked major routes including the N3 on Monday and Tuesday.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday after conducting a roadblock at Mariannhill toll plaza on the N3 in Durban, Duma warned the association bosses that he would not allow them to compromise the entire industry because of their refusal to adhere to the rule of law.
Duma said their consistent refusal to collect their permits and insistence that they were not there was becoming a problem. It is expected that the MEC will present the uncollected permits to the Premier and the media on Thursday (today), in Pietermaritzburg.
Duma said his department was working well with other associations except one, the Durban Long Distance Taxi Association, and he could not allow one association to compromise the industry, vowing to name and shame those who were refusing to collect their permits yet were saying there were no permits.
In the published document which proved that there were permits, the MEC said 115 belonged to the Durban Long Distance Taxi Association, adding that 68 of the taxi owners had come forward. Still, the department could not issue them since they did not have rank permits from eThekwini municipality. He stated that it was a requirement that before a taxi was issued with a permit, the owner must produce a rank stand permit from the municipality.
Also speaking during the roadblock on Tuesday, Mkhwanazi announced that police were hunting down the taxi drivers and owners who blocked the N3 on Monday. He said police would “make an example“ with them on what happened to a person who committed a crime. Mkhwanazi said their behaviour would not be tolerated, vowing to deal with anyone that would interfere with the rights of others when aggrieved.
However, Durban Long Distance Taxi Association’s Bhekisisa Nzuza said they would not stop the strike until their demands were met. He said they were open to negotiations to resolve the matter but were not prepared to give up their demands.
Taxi drivers downed keys on Friday after receiving instructions from their bosses, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. The association said their halting of the operations stemmed from the MEC’s refusal to suspend the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) unit, known as Operation Shanela, which is known for “sweeping up” all unroadworthy taxis off the roads. Another demand turned down by Duma was the release of impounded taxis, which he said was a legal process that he would not interfere with.
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