Gauteng Mec Threatens Taxi Rank Shutdown Over Safety

Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says her department will shut down taxi ranks if negotiations fail, in what the MEC says is a bid to force taxi owners to prioritise public safety.

This was one of the key discussions at a prayer session in Soweto. It follows the fatal shooting of three officials from the Soweto taxi group WATA in Mofolo on Monday. Diale-Tlabela says taxi violence has claimed 59 lives since January.

We are worried because they are not only killing themselves but they are also killing innocent citizens women and children are really affected by this thats why we are taking a stance on that in the six months of closing these ranks we must be able to overhaul the system and change the regime of how things were done Diale-Tlabela says.