Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy revealed that her Department is taking active steps to combat the rising cases of minibus taxis engaging in mafia-style tactics on the country’s roads.
In response to a written Parliamentary Q&A, Creecy said the Department of Transport (DoT) has consistently cautioned taxi industry leadership that their patrollers do not have authority to stop any vehicle on a public road.
Furthermore, the DoT is continuously engaging National Taxi Council (Santaco), as the umbrella representative body for the taxi industry, to monitor and rein in their members.
“Harassment and bullying of e-hailing drivers and passengers, anywhere in the country, by members of the taxi industry, are clear acts of criminality that must be reported to law enforcement officials for investigation and prosecution,” said Creecy.
“The Department will continue to engage and educate the taxi industry on this matter and, where necessary, work with law enforcement to bring perpetrators to book.”
South Africa’s new road mafia
The country’s minibus taxi industry has increasingly grabbed headlines in recent times for all the wrong reasons.
A wave of taxi violence erupted 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.
What are known as taxi patrollers, people employed by the taxi industry to act as security guards and enforcers of sorts, have regularly been filmed attempting to pull over drivers for offering lifts to other people.
These patrollers may sometimes resort to violence to get motorists with passengers to pull over, and they’ve even been known to issue steep fines to these drivers and illegally impound their vehicles.
No one is safe from these dangerous antics, as the patrollers have targeted everyone from private cars to scholar transports.
These taxi drivers claim that it is their reponsibility and theirs alone to ferry commuters to and fro, and that anyone who gives someone else a lift is effectively stealing their business.
What started as a regional issue has since spread countrywide, with similar reports coming from Gauteng and Limpopo.
As per Minister Creecy, no one except Authorised Officers may enforce compliance with all applicable laws and punish any violation by road users.
Authorised Officers include inspectors appointed by provinces, municipalities, or the Road Traffic Management Corporation; members of the South African Police Service; and municipal police.
“Patrollers are not empowered by any legislation, and therefore such cases of harassment must be reported to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action to be taken against perpetrators,” said Creecy.
South African National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola has likewise reiterated on multiple occasions that taxis have no legal right to stop other road users and demand fines.
Yet, Santaco is defending its members, stating they have a right to safeguard their business interests.
The association went a step further, arguing that private motorists carrying passengers without a permit infringe on taxi operators’ rights, suggesting they firmly believe they are entitled to all road passenger transport in the country.
That said, Santaco did acknowledge that the methods used by its members are fueling the public perception that taxi operators are lawless.
Despite this, punishments have rarely been doled out on those who engage in the activity, suggesting whoever is in control of the taxi industry is willing to overlook the illegal practices as long as it continues to be a net benefit.
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