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"The recent violent actions by taxi drivers during a protest over impounded
vehicles, damaging municipal and private property, has once again
highlighted the need to not only process operating licences for taxi drivers
faster, but also the unacceptable nature of their protest at this delay"
said IFP spokesperson for Transport, Mr Petros Sithole MP.

The taxi owners and operators threatened more violence if the 44 vehicles
impounded were not released and their permits also sorted.

"The municipality must also be held accountable for allowing such a
situation to develop. The failure to issue permits because of claims that
municipal buses were sufficient for passengers, while charging the taxi
industry fees for those unissued permits, is also a major cause of these
violent protests"

"It is unacceptable that the taxi industry in Durban resorted to acts of
violence and threating the general public over their grievances. This also
shows the need for state intervention at municipal level in order to ensure
that these actions do not take place. No matter how legitimate their
grievances, taxis cannot be allowed to operate illegally and with impunity"
said Sithole.

"The 17 people arrested during these protests must face the full might of
the law and face the consequences of their actions. There is no place in our
society for violence to be used as a threat in order to be heard. Taxi
bosses should be in the forefront of curbing violence within their industry
and not be leaders of this unacceptable violence" said Sithole

Issued by IFP