Local taxi associations have gone rogue, acting like a lawless gang in a chaotic frontier. They have taken it upon themselves to control our travel options, roaming the streets with the intensity of wolves on the hunt, ready to attack anyone who offers a simple lift, even to a loved one.
By Themba Khumalo
There are events in life that unfold with such oddity that it seems one has stepped into a fantastical movie set, where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary.
For quite a while now, I have been swept away by a tide of incredulity, as if the world around me has donned a cloak of absurdity, challenging my perception of what is real.
Like a relentless storm battering the shores of my mind, the minibus taxi industry has surged to the forefront, distorting my grasp on reality and wrapping it in a suffocating embrace of absurdity.
The behaviour of most operators in this industry is a surreal spectacle, a bizarre circus that twists and contorts my understanding of reality, leaving me gasping for clarity as if I were drowning in a sea of confusion.
Just a bit over two weeks ago, a gripping video exploded onto the digital space, showing a high-speed chase that appeared like it had leapt from the pages of an action thriller. A grey sedan, fierce and relentless like a lion chasing down a straggling gazelle, screamed down the highway, hot on the tail of a bakkie.
The two cars weaved through traffic, their fenders almost kissing in a deadly dance as the sedan lunged, trying to force the bakkie off the road. Other drivers, caught in the dust devil of this vehicular showdown, swerved to the side, their hearts racing like wild stallions as they bore witness to the pandemonium unfolding before their eyes.
With adrenaline surging through their veins like wildfire, the passenger in the sedan gestured wildly to the bakkie’s driver, a frantic demand for an immediate stop. Tension crackled in the air as both vehicles narrowly skirted disaster, barely avoiding a big truck, the yell of their engines drowning out all reason.
As the video raced toward what seemed to be a climactic finale, the sedan lunged forward, positioning itself defiantly in front of the bakkie, determined to force the driver to stop.
This brief chase unfolded like a gripping thriller, its ending shrouded in uncertainty, leaving viewers breathless and pondering the fate of this high-octane pursuit.
In another heart-pounding video, a Chevrolet driver finds himself in a nail-biting chase with a taxi patrol car, a Toyota Corolla. The two cars zigzag in traffic, turning the road into a fit of speed and metal, while the Corolla’s passenger signals for the Chevrolet to stop.
After a tense pursuit, the Chevrolet gets stuck between the Corolla and another vehicle, finally coming to a standstill. The Corolla’s passenger leaps out, sprinting towards the Chevrolet driver, who, in a moment of sheer panic, shifts into reverse. The car behind him follows suit, creating just enough space for the Chevrolet to make a quick escape, racing past the Corolla.
With the passenger back in the Corolla, the chase is far from over, as the adrenaline-fueled pursuit kicks back into high gear.
Like a dark symphony of power, taxi associations dance through a stage set with threats and violence, their unquenchable thirst for control over the transport industry, creating a web of fear that entraps all who dare to cross their path.
Local taxi associations have been allowed to run rampant, like a gang of outlaws in a lawless land. They have taken it upon themselves to dictate how the rest of us should get around. They prowl the streets with the ferocity of a pack of wolves, hunting down anyone who dares to offer a lift even to a friend or family member.
Their relentless harassment of e-hailing services is nothing short of a crusade against competition.
Not very long ago, they turned Cape Town into a war zone, aggressively targeting bus companies in a bid to eliminate competition.
These avaricious simpletons operate outside the bounds of the law, and anyone who dares to defy them is playing with fire. The average member of these associations has the temperament of a live grenade, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Some of the kombis shuttling jittery passengers look like a jigsaw puzzle made of rusted scrap metal, with loose parts ready to fly off like confetti at a bad wedding, endangering lives with every bump in the road. It is as clear as day, even to the thickest of heads, that commuters are treated like yesterday’s trash, even though they are the lifeblood of the taxi business.
The moment has arrived for society to put an end to this tyrannical grip of taxi operators. Enough is enough. They must either start adhering to the laws of this land, treating commuters and the public with respect or prepare to feel the fury of the people.
And let us not hold our breath waiting for any government agency to step in; not a single one of them has the testicular fortitude to take on the taxi industry.