Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Understanding the Psychology of Domestic Violence
  • GADRA and Mobile Science Lab launch new science project
  • Beading through the generations
  • Almost 50 GADRA alumni graduate from Rhodes this week!
  • How it feels to go without water for seven days
  • Cleaning Kowie River and Fairview Spring for World Water Day
  • Local soccer teams avoid SAB Regional League relegation!
  • Bongani Fule: new Eastern Cape Junior Lightweight champion!
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Taxi operators protest peacefully
Uncategorized

Taxi operators protest peacefully

EditorBy EditorJune 10, 2016No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

While 18 people were arrested and four vehicles impounded in King WIlliam's Town, Bhisho and East London in a taxi industry protest today, the Grahamstown event was controlled and without incident.

While 18 people were arrested and four vehicles impounded in King WIlliam's Town, Bhisho and East London in a taxi industry protest today, the Grahamstown event was controlled and without incident.

Grahamstown taxi drivers today 10 June joined a province-wide protest over the government's alleged delays in issuing driving permits. 

About 50 taxis formed a convoy escorted by traffic officers up to the Monument before returning to the rank for a short gathering.

They claim that for more than a year, Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana has refused to issue permits to taxi bosses. Their leaders from around the province went to the MEC's office to table their concern.

The convoy of taxis drove along Beaufort Street up to the N2 with the traffic officers monitoring the situation. They returned from the N2 and went to the Border Alliance Taxi Association rank.

Taxi driver Lungisa Sixaba addressed the gathering and thanked them for ensuring everything had gone smoothly and that there was no violence.

"This was a 30-minute peaceful demonstration as an attempt to show that there is something we are unhappy with in the taxi industry," Sixaba said.

"We reported this to the traffic department and asked for permission and they allowed us to do the demonstration. You would have seen that they were travelling with us all the time.

"We are happy that we conducted ourselves in a respectful manner and didn't cause any trouble to the people and other vehicles." 
The taxi operators said they had applied for the permits a long time ago and that Tikana had been failing to approve and return their applications.

They said if they go out on a trip and traffic officers discover they don't have the right permit, the vehicle can be impounded and they must pay a R9 000 fine to have it released.

After their demonstration the taxi operators said they would disperse and meet again when their leadership returns from Bhisho, where they were meeting Tikana today.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the province, nine people aged 30-45 were arrested in East London, three in Zwelitsha, five in Bhisho and one in King William’s Town following the blockading of roads there, according to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Sibongile Soci.

Four vehicles were impounded in East London.

Taxis blockaded several roads across the Province from early this morning, using their vehicles, burning tyres and rubble.

Soci said the suspects would appear in various courts on charges of arson, public violence and  malicious damage to property.   
In a statement issued this afternoon SAPS in the province said they strongly condemned the actions of the protesting taxi owners and drivers who closed off roads across the province. 

"We want to reiterate the point that the taxi owner/drivers have a Constitutional rights to protest. However, those very rights do not imply that people must infringe on the right of movement of other people, destroy property, attack police, be violent and intimidate others," Soci said.

Previous ArticleRumours: no taxis on Friday
Next Article Rhodes & St. Andrew’s to be represented in national rowing teams
Editor

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.