Police Minister Bheki Cele left many taxi association leaders dejected when he insisted that taxi ranks and routes in Mthatha and the surrounding areas remain indefinitely closed.Leaders of feuding Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Associations (Bata) who claimed to have reconciled and has drafted a peace accord, hoped to meet Cele with their proposal in the hope he would give it a thumbs up.
Cele was in Mthatha for a MinMec meeting, but later addressed a bigger meeting including taxi bosses, clergy and traditional leaders over issues of crime, but also touched on the taxi violence and the subsequent ban.
''We shut the taxis down here because 60 people died within 18 months. Since we shut the taxis down nobody has died, which means that they can live side-by-side and don't do it.”
The Minister, who on Thursday did not interact directly with the taxi bosses, promised to return soon to meet with them.
"I must measure your sobriety. If I am satisfied that you have sobered up, talk to sober people who take sober decisions. But if I am not satisfied that you are sober enough, I am not going to allow you to go and kill people again," Cele warned.
He accused those in the taxi industry to have last week organised people to embark on protest and to blockade roads by burning tyres and threatening motorists.
"We must understand and agree what happen to us when people die. Forget about the 60 you have killed. I want that the taxi industry commit itself in writing that if one person dies , just one person, that they must write that Cele ban taxi operations here forever. We have a responsibility, we get paid to ensure that the people of South Africa stay safe. We are not going to allow you to accumulate money from blood. Your money must be bloodless," Cele said.
Minister Cele stands firm on taxi routes ban
Leaders of feuding Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Associations (Bata) who claimed to have reconciled and has drafted a peace accord, hoped to meet Cele with their proposal in the hope he would give it a thumbs up.
Cele was in Mthatha for a MinMec meeting, but later addressed a bigger meeting including taxi bosses, clergy and traditional leaders over issues of crime, but also touched on the taxi violence and the subsequent ban.
''We shut the taxis down here because 60 people died within 18 months. Since we shut the taxis down nobody has died, which means that they can live side-by-side and don't do it.”
The Minister, who on Thursday did not interact directly with the taxi bosses, promised to return soon to meet with them.
"I must measure your sobriety. If I am satisfied that you have sobered up, talk to sober people who take sober decisions. But if I am not satisfied that you are sober enough, I am not going to allow you to go and kill people again," Cele warned.
He accused those in the taxi industry to have last week organised people to embark on protest and to blockade roads by burning tyres and threatening motorists.
"We must understand and agree what happen to us when people die. Forget about the 60 you have killed. I want that the taxi industry commit itself in writing that if one person dies , just one person, that they must write that Cele ban taxi operations here forever. We have a responsibility, we get paid to ensure that the people of South Africa stay safe. We are not going to allow you to accumulate money from blood. Your money must be bloodless," Cele said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos