Should just one more person be killed in the taxi industry he will close down taxi operations in the OR Tambo region for good, says Police Minister Bheki Cele.
This was one of the stringent terms under which Cele lifted the month-long taxi ban in the region on Friday night.
Taxi bosses in turn vowed they had learnt their lesson and have promised to honour the peace accord signed by Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Association (Bata).
“You cannot accumulate money on spilt blood. Forget about the 60 lives you have already killed, but should one more person be killed after the peace agreement, you will bid goodbye to your businesses and we will close taxi operations here forever,” Cele warned.
Bata president Vuyani Mshiywa said the ban, which had crippled their businesses and other trading in the area, had made them see things differently.
“Innocent people have been killed. Our passengers came to support us, but what they got, they got killed. “That is bad and ungrateful to the people who make us survive. We owe them a lot, not only an apology, maybe a big prayer meeting where we can humble ourselves to them,” he said.
Taxi bosses said one way of ensuring peace and stability was that they would no longer let the industry be run by employees – taxi drivers and conductors – while owners took a back seat. “That was one of our worse mistakes,’’ said Mshiywa.
Usta president Ntsikelelo Gaehler said he was committed to honour the peace accord. Any taxi operator found breaking the agreement will be arrested, expelled from the association, blacklisted as a taxi operator and find his or her taxi impounded.
Yesterday taxi bosses as ordered by Cele, held a joint meeting of taxi owners. Transport and safety MEC Weziwe Tikana said in Mthatha it was agreed that there would be only two taxi ranks – Jubilee for local routes and Chatam for long distance.
Tikana and Cele said the agreement was not only applicable to Mthatha and OR Tambo but to the entire province. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
Cele’s final warning to taxis
This was one of the stringent terms under which Cele lifted the month-long taxi ban in the region on Friday night.
Taxi bosses in turn vowed they had learnt their lesson and have promised to honour the peace accord signed by Uncedo Service Taxi Association (Usta) and Border Alliance Taxi Association (Bata).
“You cannot accumulate money on spilt blood. Forget about the 60 lives you have already killed, but should one more person be killed after the peace agreement, you will bid goodbye to your businesses and we will close taxi operations here forever,” Cele warned.
Bata president Vuyani Mshiywa said the ban, which had crippled their businesses and other trading in the area, had made them see things differently.
“Innocent people have been killed. Our passengers came to support us, but what they got, they got killed. “That is bad and ungrateful to the people who make us survive. We owe them a lot, not only an apology, maybe a big prayer meeting where we can humble ourselves to them,” he said.
Taxi bosses said one way of ensuring peace and stability was that they would no longer let the industry be run by employees – taxi drivers and conductors – while owners took a back seat. “That was one of our worse mistakes,’’ said Mshiywa.
Usta president Ntsikelelo Gaehler said he was committed to honour the peace accord. Any taxi operator found breaking the agreement will be arrested, expelled from the association, blacklisted as a taxi operator and find his or her taxi impounded.
Yesterday taxi bosses as ordered by Cele, held a joint meeting of taxi owners. Transport and safety MEC Weziwe Tikana said in Mthatha it was agreed that there would be only two taxi ranks – Jubilee for local routes and Chatam for long distance.
Tikana and Cele said the agreement was not only applicable to Mthatha and OR Tambo but to the entire province. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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