Taxi drivers demand police action on killings of colleagues

Mamelodi taxi drivers are fed up with the spike in hijackings, robberies and killings of taxi operators, allegedly by a syndicate, on Solomon Mahlangu Drive and at the corner of Zambezi and Moloto roads in the township east of Pretoria. 

Taxi drivers took to the streets on Wednesday afternoon and blocked Solomon Mahlangu Drive with burning objects and rubbish, bringing traffic to a standstill when they demanded answers from their association about the killings. 

Members of a syndicate have allegedly killed five taxi drivers, with the latest victim killed on Wednesday night at the corner of Alwyn Road and Solomon Mahlangu Drive.

Taxi drivers said they want law enforcement agencies to take action. 

Drivers, who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity, said the latest killing took place at about 7pm on Wednesday while the driver was dropping off passengers.

According to the taxi drivers, unknown gunmen emerged from the bush and robbed passengers. Some passengers managed to escape but the driver was not so lucky and he was killed on the scene. 

“I’m so heartbroken about what happened to one of our drivers and others. We are afraid to work at night because of these incidents,” said one driver.

Another said they want law enforcement agencies to act quickly to deal with the situation he described as “scary”.

“I'm pleading with the police to speed up their investigations into these murders, hijackings and robberies. We can’t continue to work like this.”

“We are not afraid to act but we respect the laws of our country. We must not take the law into our own hands,” said Steerman Monageng, deputy chairperson of the Mamelodi Long Distance Taxi Association (Maldta).

The Mamelodi Amalgamated Taxi Association (Mata) also operates in the township.

Monageng said they first heard about the syndicate when its members allegedly robbed Putco bus drivers and passengers travelling to Moloto.

He said the five drivers were killed over two months.

“The two associations [Maldta and Mata] decided to patrol the road but they don’t have enough capacity and we are calling on all law enforcement agencies to patrol the road,” Monageng said.

“We cry with the families who lost their loved ones. Their deaths are a big loss to us.”

The drivers were set to protest at the Silverton police station and deliver a memorandum of grievances.

Monageng said members of the alleged syndicate sometimes pose as passengers and carry guns. 

SowetanLIVE