As two more taxi drivers were shot and killed and a bus driver injured over the weekend, concerned parents yesterday approached operators at the Nyanga terminus following the intimidation of scholar transport drivers.
Parents say their children were forced to stay out of school last week after several of their drivers were threatened amid the ongoing taxi violence.
The latest shootings has brought the death toll to 88 since January, as Cata and Codeta fight over the now closed B97 route from Paarl/Mbekweni to Bellville.
On Friday morning, a Golden Arrow bus driver was wounded when a bullet – apparently intended for a taxi – hit the bus.
The driver was shot in the ankle as he was driving on Borcherds Quarry, GABS’ Bronwen Dyke-Beyer confirmed.
While an arbitration process is still under way between the associations, two more taxi operators have died in Nkanini and Ceres on Saturday.
Codeta Secretary General Andile Khanyi confirmed that the taxi drivers belonged to them.
Captain FC van Wyk says in the Nkanini incident, a 55-year-old man was killed at 8.15pm in Ntlazane Road.
Of the Ceres hit, he says: “Ceres Police are investigating a murder case after a shooting incident on Saturday at about 8.25pm at Phumla Street, Nduli, Ceres where a 41-year-old unknown male (taxi driver) was shot and fatally wounded.”
No arrests have been made in either case.
Cata has not been operating since last week and several incidents of intimidation have been reported.
On Sunday, parents marched to Nyanga Terminus, a Cata stronghold, where mom Zanele Oliphant said her kids missed school because their driver was too scared to drive.
body.copy.three...: “When we heard about the threats, we planned the march to Cata offices to ask them to let our children attend school,” she says.
“My youngest child is six years old and she can’t go alone with the bus to Athlone.”
A crying Zanele read the memorandum to Cata, saying children wanted to go back to school: “We know you are also parents and hope that you will understand our request.”
Cata representative Zuko Nqweshi accepted the memorandum and said they were aware that skollies not affiliated to Cata are intimidating people.
“I wouldn’t advise Toyota Quantum and Avanza vehicles to collect kids because they will be targeted,” he said.
“But we are fine with children going back to school and if any of you encounter any problems, come to us at the taxi rank and we can see how we can solve the problem.”
Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell said neither Cata or Codeta has been banned from operating: “I do want to clarify however, that even though ‘affected’ associations/members may not use the Bellville and Mbekweni taxi ranks and certain loading lanes, they may still continue to provide services on the routes authorised by their operating licences.”
“The continued lack of services in some areas is due to a decision by the two main associations to not operate, and we cannot force them to as a government.”