Illegal taxi operators claim they have no other choice

Tensions boiled over last Thursday when members of the Musina Taxi Association (MTA) blocked the N1 between Musina and the Beit Bridge Border Post out of protect against illegal taxi operators.

The MTA members called on the authorities to clamp down on illegal operators on this route. At the time, a member of the MTA, Jealous Munyai, said that this illegal operation had been going on for some time now and the authorities needed to stop these operators. “The intervention by law enforcement and the SAPS has been long overdue. We are tired of minibus taxis and cars operating between the Musina and the Beit Bridge border without permits,” said Munyai.

Munyai said that although they charged the same amount of R10 between Musina and the border, members of the MTA also had to pay for a permit to operate on the route. He added that illegal taxi operators gave the local taxi industry a bad name, claiming that some of them even robbed unsuspecting travellers. “Today [last Thursday] we decided to block the N1 to attract the attention of law enforcement and the SAPS. Yes, they came and addressed us and promised to work around the clock to stop illegal taxis,” said Munyai.

However, two sides always exist to any argument. “This is how we try and make ends meet. We know that we are operating illegally from Musina to Beit Bridge, but we have no choice since the authorities are delaying processing our route permits,” said one of the many illegal taxi operators, calling himself Joe (not his real name), after last week’s protest action. According to him, most of the illegal operators have been waiting for operating permits they applied for in 2016 already.

Joe also denied the claim that illegal taxi operators robbed unsuspecting travellers. “Travellers are robbed by their fellow countrymen. We usually warn travellers not to get into private cars, but they continue hiking. Travellers are lured into these cars because some of the operators speak their home language. On the way they are robbed of their belongings and dumped,” said Joe. This was evident during the Limpopo Mirror’s visit to Musina on Saturday, with numerous private vehicles stopping and offering lifts to travellers to the border post. The newspaper is in the process of investigating Joe’s claim about the delay in the issuing of permits to some taxi operators.­

News - Date: 26 September 2019

Bernard Chiguvare

Bernard Chiguvare is a Zimbabwean-born journalist. He writes mainly for the online publication, Groundup.

Email: [email protected]