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Upon reading the lawsuits, Alpheus Mlalazi said that no taxi driver or owner had received any of the aid package funds allocated. They demanded a response to their complaints within 14 days.
The CBD came to a standstill as protesters headed to the transportation department. Some were walking, others were traveling in minibus that blocked the streets, others were singing with banners.
“The minister ambushed us at one of the meetings by announcing the strict preconditions that taxi operators must meet to access the relief fund,” Mlalazi said, reading the memo.
NTA President Mohanoe Masitsa said Ramaphosa should call Mbalula to order.
“We are fighting as taxi drivers because the president said there was an aid fund for taxis … We are here to tell the president that we have not received that money. We do not see the reasons for the delay. We asked the president to call Mbalula to order. We cannot allow him to suppress our rights. We are not prepared for Mbalula to take us for a ride, “he added.
Masitsa said that the recent national taxi lekgotla was not representative of the taxi industry.
“There was a national lekgotla, don’t be fooled by the president because the lekgotla was not representative of the taxi industry, it was a meeting between the minister and his friends, period. All the decisions that were made there regarding the NTA were refers, are unfounded and without foundation, “he said.
Mlalazi said the NTA wanted the president to instruct Mbalula and his department to order an inclusive, non-partisan taxi to chart a path forward in a united, regulated, formalized and professional taxi industry.
Meanwhile, it was not clear if the truck filmed crashing into a sedan was almost looted by protesters or criminal elements who took advantage of the situation.
A witness, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being a victim, said a Toyota Corolla with the clear markings of the taxi association tried to stop the truck. Vehicle occupants gathered around the truck at the intersection of Thabo Sehume and Struben streets.
“Within minutes, I saw more people around the truck trying to loot it. I’m not sure if the people were passing people trying to take advantage of the situation or if they were part of the protest, ”he said.
The city suspended its bus services during the afternoon “due to the strike by members affiliated with the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) which was characterized by violence, intimidation and threats directed at bus drivers and travelers.”
TimesLIVE
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