Two years ago, three e-hailing vehicles were torched at night at Maponya Mall, allegedly by minibus taxi operators, in an act of intimidation against drivers.
A year later, taxi operators allegedly assaulted e-hailing drivers, forcing them to drop off their passengers while extorting money from them at Jabulani Mall, Soweto. On Wednesday night, one person was killed and two others injured when unknown suspects at Maponya Mall attacked two e-hailing vehicles. Police believe the incident is linked to taxi-related violence in the area. The incident led to protests and the closure of the mall by angry community members.
These three incidents, while recorded years apart, underscore a disturbing pattern of escalating violence directed at e-hailers, allegedly by the taxi industry. In all three incidents, Gauteng authorities have correctly been unequivocal in their condemnation of the violence against e-hailing services.
But what has been missing so far has been consequences. Despite promises in the past to ensure the rule of law prevails and that e-hailing drivers operate freely without fear and intimidation, there continue to be reports of no-go areas for e-hailers in some parts of Soweto. The taxi industry, important as it is in our economy for moving masses of people, continues to be a law unto itself, using violence and intimidation to eliminate competition.
In some of the incidents reported in the past two years involving attacks on e-hailing drivers, no perpetrators were brought to book for these barbaric actions. Instead, some of the people behind these attacks continue to roam the streets with impunity, sending a message to the rest of society that they are above the law.
The people of Soweto deserve a safe, reliable and violence-free public transport, but this cannot happen when taxi operators are allowed to violate their rights to choose whatever mode of transport they want to use. The ongoing violence and intimidation of e-hailing services in the township not only threatens public safety but also seeks to hold society to ransom. The government, as the custodian of law and order, must therefore enforce the law with rigour in our interest.
What the public wants to see is consequences for those behind the violence to send a strong message that these acts will not be tolerated. In the absence of consequences and holding the taxi industry accountable, we run the risk of these incidents becoming the norm and public safety being compromised daily.
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