The Mdantsane East London Taxi Association has obtained a court order interdicting four taxi associations from intimidating, harassing, assaulting, inciting hostility and preventing its members from operating in some designated taxi ranks in the Buffalo City Metro.
New claims on turf wars emerged in court amid allegations of shots being fired at Meta operators, as well as their taxis being stoned.
Served with the court interdict were Mdantsane East London and Districts Taxi Association (Melta), Mdantsane Uncedo Taxi Association, East London Taxi Association (Elta) and Uncedo Taxi Association based at Mdantsane’s Kuyasa Shopping Centre.
The four associations were given until December 7 to show cause why such court order should not be made permanent.
This comes after tensions at taxi ranks in Mseleni, Shoprite/Checkers, Boxer and Ebuhlanti in the East London CBD earlier this week. There have also been allegations of Meta operators being assaulted and having shots fired at them in Tsholomnqa on Monday.
Court papers also claim they were intimidated, threatened with violence and chased out of Beacon Bay, Gonubie, Oriental Plaza and Vincent taxi ranks this week.
The four associations were also barred from preventing Meta operators from operating at Kuyasa and Highway taxi ranks in Mdantsane
The court interdict was issued by Justice Bantubonke Tokota during a high court sitting in East London on Thursday.
“Currently all operations from the taxi ranks by the applicant and its members have stopped due to the threat of violence and fear for their lives,” Meta’s legal team stated in their court papers.
Meta was represented by Johannesburg law firm Re Tla Go Thusa, which then instructed Advocate Tian de Klerk in their urgent high court application.
Meta claims numerous attempts to iron things out between them and the four associations yielded no positive outcomes.
Uncedo president Ntsikelelo Gaehler yesterday said he was in Cape Town and “knows nothing” about the interdict.
He said he was aware of the said tensions, and that “Meta was right in obtaining the court order as no one is supposed to be victimised in our ranks”.
Meta chairman Michael Mpunga yesterday said he did not know why they were being targeted.
Melta spokesman Welile Blayi said he was out of town and could not comment on the matter. He referred the Saturday Dispatch to their public relations officer, Vuyani Mbewu, who yesterday said he was unable to talk as he was in a meeting.
Elta’s public relations officer Xolile Ngwendu said no interdict had been received by his association “as yet” and that they did not have any “beef” with Meta.
“In fact, I don’t know why our name was dragged into as there is not a single route or rank where we operate with Meta. Maybe our name was dragged into this because we are also affiliated to Uncedo, but we have nothing to do with Meta,” he said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
High court interdicts taxi groups over threats
New claims on turf wars emerged in court amid allegations of shots being fired at Meta operators, as well as their taxis being stoned.
Served with the court interdict were Mdantsane East London and Districts Taxi Association (Melta), Mdantsane Uncedo Taxi Association, East London Taxi Association (Elta) and Uncedo Taxi Association based at Mdantsane’s Kuyasa Shopping Centre.
The four associations were given until December 7 to show cause why such court order should not be made permanent.
This comes after tensions at taxi ranks in Mseleni, Shoprite/Checkers, Boxer and Ebuhlanti in the East London CBD earlier this week. There have also been allegations of Meta operators being assaulted and having shots fired at them in Tsholomnqa on Monday.
Court papers also claim they were intimidated, threatened with violence and chased out of Beacon Bay, Gonubie, Oriental Plaza and Vincent taxi ranks this week.
The four associations were also barred from preventing Meta operators from operating at Kuyasa and Highway taxi ranks in Mdantsane
The court interdict was issued by Justice Bantubonke Tokota during a high court sitting in East London on Thursday.
“Currently all operations from the taxi ranks by the applicant and its members have stopped due to the threat of violence and fear for their lives,” Meta’s legal team stated in their court papers.
Meta was represented by Johannesburg law firm Re Tla Go Thusa, which then instructed Advocate Tian de Klerk in their urgent high court application.
Meta claims numerous attempts to iron things out between them and the four associations yielded no positive outcomes.
Uncedo president Ntsikelelo Gaehler yesterday said he was in Cape Town and “knows nothing” about the interdict.
He said he was aware of the said tensions, and that “Meta was right in obtaining the court order as no one is supposed to be victimised in our ranks”.
Meta chairman Michael Mpunga yesterday said he did not know why they were being targeted.
Melta spokesman Welile Blayi said he was out of town and could not comment on the matter. He referred the Saturday Dispatch to their public relations officer, Vuyani Mbewu, who yesterday said he was unable to talk as he was in a meeting.
Elta’s public relations officer Xolile Ngwendu said no interdict had been received by his association “as yet” and that they did not have any “beef” with Meta.
“In fact, I don’t know why our name was dragged into as there is not a single route or rank where we operate with Meta. Maybe our name was dragged into this because we are also affiliated to Uncedo, but we have nothing to do with Meta,” he said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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