· The woman says the taxi driver hit her in the face and threw her bags out when she asked to be dropped closer to the taxi rank.
· She says the taxi association is doing nothing about it, even though she has video proof of the assault.
A Cape Town woman says she was assaulted by a taxi driver who punched her in the face and broke her spectacles after an argument over where she should get out.
The woman, who was carrying several bags, said the taxi driver refused to drop her at the taxi rank and instead left her on the side of the road.
“I asked him politely to drop me where they usually drop off passengers, but he said he was rushing to get to the queue,” she said.
She told him she had many bags and could not walk all the way.
“He told me to pay someone R30 to help me. I said I didn’t have money. Then he stopped the taxi, got out, grabbed my bags and threw them outside.”
Some of her bags were still inside the taxi, and when she tried to stand her ground, she says he attacked her.
“I told him I wanted to be dropped at the taxi rank. He punched me and broke my spectacles. When I asked him why, he said he would do it again.”
She says she went straight to the taxi rank to report him but no one seemed to care.
“They called him, and he denied everything. I asked why I would take a video if he didn’t do anything wrong.”
She said the taxi owners backed the driver.
“That shows how easy it is for their drivers to assault passengers. They know nothing will happen to them.”
Without her glasses, she says she is struggling with her day-to-day life.
“I told them I depend on my glasses, but they’re still not taking me seriously. I won’t stop until they replace them and the driver takes responsibility for hitting a woman who did nothing to him.”
She says she took a video of the incident in case she needed evidence.
“When we report their drivers without proof, they ignore us. Now I have proof and they still don’t care.”
Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said he would follow up and get back to her.
Pictured above: taxi rank and taxis
Source: Supplied
