The Inkatha Freedom Party calls for a commission of inquiry into KZN taxi violence after a Mpumalanga Taxi Association member was shot and killed in his bakkie on the N3, close to the Hammarsdale off-ramp and after the taxi protest erupted in Pietermaritzburg recently.
“This commission should look into the root cause of the violence in the taxi industry and the challenges faced by this industry. Issues such as taxi warlords who continue to order the killings and who are involved in other criminal activity, disputes over routes and government response towards the need of the taxi industry should form part of the investigation,” said IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Blessed Gwala MPL.
“Above that, we propose that a permanent dispute resolution body should be stablished, and law enforcement agencies should establish a joint task team to deal with violations of the law and share intelligence. Conflict should not lead to violence and early warning should be picked up and dealt with before it boiled over.
The constitution of our country assures us that the right to life for every citizen must be protected by the state. But since the killings, no one has been arrested, charged or prosecuted.
KwaZulu-Natal graves are littered with the bodies of taxi leaders and drivers but the killers continue to roam our streets,” continued Mr Gwala.
“We also urge the KZN MEC of Transport, Mxolisi Kaunda to host an urgent formal constructive summit with members of the taxi industry to seek amicable solutions facing the taxi industry. Decisive action must be taken by government in addressing this matter.
This summit will serve to seek a lasting and tangible solution to the evil of taxi violence and its attendant ills as well as to restore calm and the tension arising from recent incidents,” concluded Mr Gwala.
Issued by:
Mr Blessed Gwala MPL
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison
078 290 5842