The Gauteng provincial government is taking an active stance against the mafia-style tactics exhibited by taxi operators in the province.
This is according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who recently spoke on 702 to address various public queries following his State of the Province Address on Monday, 24 February 2025.
During the interview, a caller asked about the province’s stance on the alarming behaviour of many taxi drivers, which the Premier labelled as “bullying.”
Getting out of hand
Since late 2024, there have been several news stories across multiple provinces in South Africa detailing the escalating behaviour and tactics of taxi operators who are intimidating and even threatening other road users for allegedly “stealing their business.”
Several early reports came from the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga where stories emerged of so-called taxi enforcers chasing after private cars that had more than one person in them.
The enforcers would attempt to block off the other car, whereupon they would violently confront the driver for providing a lift to another person, regardless of whether the individuals were friends or family members.
However, what began as the actions of a few taxi operators has since grown to become a nationwide issue, with reports of similar intimidation tactics in Gauteng, Limpopo, and other provinces.
Lesufi confirmed that the province had received multiple complaints from scholar transports who are being harassed by taxi operators.
Taxi groups have attempted to block these transports from dropping children off at school, and are insisting that the children must use their taxi service instead.
The schools themselves have also become a target, with taxi representatives imposing an ultimatum that schools must exclusively use taxis for their transport requirements.
Similar tactics have been levelled against employers whose workforce use transport methods other than taxis to get to the office.
Across all of these cases, there is also a common theme of taxi operators demanding a “fine” on the spot for the victim’s supposed lack of compliance, amounting to extortion.
Lesufi described all of these tactics as bullying, and that it is effectively creating “war” on the streets as the taxi industry attempts to take over the various facets of the transport market.
He said that authorities are aware of the issue, and that it has been elevated to the province’s war room to be urgently addressed.
It was explained that residents in parts of Gauteng, such as Soweto, have been unable to use taxis and other public transport for over a year owing to the violent interactions between the various groups fighting for popular routes.
The Premier also brought up the e-hailing industry, which has been the target of taxi associations for several years now.
In June 2023, several Uber drivers’ cars were torched outside malls in Soweto following a dispute with the local Taxi Association, which accused the e-hailing services of stealing their business.
It is indicative of an attitude shared by many taxi operators, who believe that the industry is entitled to the entire road transport market.
In response to public backlash, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has defended the actions of its members, claiming they have a right to protect their business interests.
It also argued that private cars carrying more than one person without a permit infringes on taxi operators’ rights.
However, these claims have been shot down multiple times by the South African Police Services and provincial governments, which firmly state that taxi operators have no legal grounds to stop other road users and demand fines – an action that amounts to harassment.
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