By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has condemned acts of violence in the transport industry following the killing of an e-hailing driver in Soweto.
Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase, 27, an e-hailing driver who was shot and killed in Maponya Mall last week.
However the e-hailing company Uber said it had no record of him working as a driver on its platform.
Santaco leadership briefed the media in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Motlhabane Tsebe, president of Santaco said, they had noticed there was a call for donations towards the funeral of Mvelase. He said the taxi industry will assist with the costs of burial.
“I sent my team to speak to the family, to ask them if they would give us that right to take the body from Gauteng to KZN and also to bury the body,” he said.
“We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms. It is inhuman, it is criminal, and it is unacceptable. We are saying zero tolerance for violence. Any operator, driver, or member of our associations found to have been involved in this attack, or any similar act of violence, will be immediately expelled. It’s a promise: we are saying to our members, enough is enough, we cannot continue like this,” he said.
Tsebe urged authorities to take firm action against criminals in the taxi industry who are terrorising communities, saying they must be brought to justice.
“People must be arrested so we can show that we are serious about this. So Santaco is coming forward, we are saying forgive us. We are working on this, and we want divine intervention.
“There is also a new trend where criminals hide behind the name of the taxi industry to commit heinous crimes such as kidnapping, killings, extortion, drugs, violence in all forms — the list is endless. These criminals do not represent us. They do not represent the taxi industry.”
An immediate intervention at Maponya Mall is needed, he said.
“All transport operators, taxis, e-hailing and meter taxis will have equal access to operate inside the Maponya Mall transport facility. There will be no crossroads. Security in the mall will be stable.”
Tsebe added that the current outrage against the taxi industry comes at a time when they were about to test a cashless system of paying for a taxi ride.
Tackling violence and transforming the industry requires collective effort, he said. This requires the government, law enforcement, communities and the taxi industry working together.
Meanwhile Gauteng roads and transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela said the provincial government has platforms where all operators can engage, but there is often a gap between leadership and people on the ground.
Diale-Tlabela also acknowledged the trauma caused by last week’s incident, saying that what happened was a “new type of conflict”.
“We need law enforcement to investigate and give us proper feedback. We are working to strengthen security with cameras and ensure everyone entering and leaving the mall is identifiable.”
She urged unity across the public transport and e-hailing sectors. She said that there will be challenges.
“We are confident we can arrive at a point where operators work together, share experiences and transfer skills.The taxi industry knows our stance and is cooperating. E-hailing drivers are new, some have been forced into this after losing jobs and they need proper grooming and support. As a government, we are committed to helping them so that operations can continue safely.”