'Metro police harass us'
2006-09-13 09:29
Johannesburg - A taxi strike left commuters in Soweto and Orange Farm in Gauteng without transport on Wednesday morning, a taxi association said.
Taxi drivers were protesting against metro police officers who stopped them during peak-hour traffic, said Vusi Shabangu, chairman of the Dobsonville, Roodepoort, Leratong, Johannesburg Taxi Association (Dorljota).
The drivers claimed that metro police harassed them, something they never do to metropolitan buses.
"They were also opposed to metropolitan bus services using the same routes as taxis to pick up passengers," said Shabangu.
He said Dorljota and the taxi owners were not informed about the protest by the drivers.
"We share the same views as the drivers but we were negotiating with transport authorities to resolve them.
"The drivers said we were too slow in solving the matter and decided on a protest without taxi owners," said Shabangu.
He said commuters were "definitely stranded because almost all the 2400 taxis affiliated to Dorljota are not operating as drivers are among the protesters".
"We will meet with our drivers later today (Wednesday) and hope that they will return to work on Thursday, although they vowed to continue with the strike until their demands were met."
Soweto police said they were not involved in the strike.
"It is quiet here and there has been no incidents of violence reported so far," said Sergeant Richard Munyai.
- SAPA