South Africa’s road users are increasingly being threatened by taxi operators engaging in mafia-style extortion and intimidation tactics.
This latest trend is primarily targeted at private citizens, schools, and businesses, which are being forced to use taxi services under threat of violence.
The new wave of taxi violence began in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape in late 2024, with multiple reports of drivers being harassed for offering lifts to other people under various circumstances.
The issue was covered by Carte Blanche, which highlighted several incidents of taxi drivers acting with the excuse that they were protecting their livelihoods, resorting to violence to maintain a monopoly on passenger transport.
However, what started as a regional matter has since evolved into a nationwide problem, earning the attention of politicians, citizens, and law enforcement.
In the Eastern Cape, taxi operators have been harassing private transport providers for school children, blocking the drivers from dropping the kids at their destination and insisting that the children use their taxi service instead.
Similar reports have been filed in Limpopo, where taxi associations allegedly issued directives to schools and employers warning students to exclusively use taxis for their daily commute.
Furthermore, in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, there are new stories about taxi association enforcers patrolling roads and violently confronting private cars that have more than one person in them.
In these instances, the taxi operators claim that other cars are not allowed to transport other people, whether they are hitchhikers, friends, or family members.
Across many of these cases, the taxi crews often demand that their victims pay a fine on the spot for their supposed transgression – effectively extorting members of the public.
Taxi enforcers have also been found using white flashing lights on their vehicles to give an air of credibility, but this is an illegal act under the National Road Traffic Regulations, which stipulate which cars are eligible for different colours of light markers.
Safeguarding business interests
In response to public backlash, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) defended the actions of its members, claiming they have a right to safeguard their business interests.
Mpumalanga chairperson Fanyana Sibanyoni went a step further, arguing that private motorists carrying passengers without a permit infringe on taxi operators’ rights.
Despite these claims, there is no legal justification behind the aggressive acts of taxi operators.
South African National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola has reiterated on multiple occasions that taxis have no legal right to stop other road users and demand fines.
In the eyes of the law, these actions constitute harassment, as only the police have the authority to regulate traffic in any way.
The Organization Undoing Tax Abuse has also condemned the recent behavior, labeling it as blatant extortion and intimidation, and calling on motorists to report their experiences to the authorities.
However, despite the criticism, it is a problem that is going on mostly unimpeded.
Even in busy city centres such as Sandton, enforcers have been spotted patrolling the area to impose their will on others.
When questioned by Carte Blanche, one driver said they were simply protecting their livelihoods, adding to the narrative that all of this is being done out of the idea that taxis have a right to all road passenger transport.
Though SANTACO still defends its members’ actions, it did acknowledge that the methods used are fueling the public perception that taxi operators are lawless.
Despite this, taxi associations rarely impose punishments on members who engage in this activity, indicating that they are willing to overlook the practice to protect their interests.
In other words, it is quickly becoming yet another mafia situation in South Africa, similar to the construction mafias that claim they are entitled to a significant share of the funding for all public infrastructure projects.
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