Joseph Chirume
Violence and extortion by taxi operators in the Eastern Cape could see cross-border buses being taken off the road.
Bus companies that travel to Zimbabwe from Gqeberha and East London are complaining that taxi operators are demanding an illegal extortion fee for them to continue operating.
Many operators have threatened to pull out of the routes. They say they are no longer making enough money to sustain their businesses if they are forced to pay the fee.
If they refuse to pay the fee, or report the threat to the police, they face threats of violence and murder, they say.
Bus operators said each company paid a fee of R40,000 to join a taxi association but are always made to pay a fine by rival taxi organisations.
“This has been going on for the past two years but it intensified in the past year,” said a bus owner who spoke to Scrolla.Africa on condition of anonymity.
“They stop our drivers on the freeway and demand money ranging from R2,500 to R5,000 for the bus to proceed. If drivers refuse, the taxi operators take away the keys from the ignition and [drive away] with them.”
A driver of one of the buses said what is worrying is that after paying a fine in Gqeberha, they find another association waiting for them in East London, who demand the same amount of money or even more.
“We arrive home with very little money given that business is bad these days, because people are not travelling frequently due to a lockdown in Zimbabwe that limits cross-border travelling.” he added.
Eastern Cape department of transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose condemned the crime.
“It is illegal and it’s a classic case of extortion and it’s something that should not be allowed to happen at all. It is for that reason that we have called the police to step in and deal with these cases,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said: “Bus operators must report the matter and open cases against these perpetrators”.
Ncedo Taxi Association refused to comment, while attempts to contact the Border Taxi Association were unsuccessful.
