Gauteng MEC for Transport and Logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has urged commuters in Soweto who rely on minibus taxis belonging to the Nancefield-Dube West Taxi Association (NANDUWE) and Witwatersrand Taxi Association (WATA) to make alternative transport arrangements from today, Monday, 08 April 2024.

MEC Diale-Tlabela, in terms of section 91 of the National Land Transport Act, is in the process of publishing a notice in the provincial gazette indicating her intention to close affected NANDUWE and WATA taxi ranks and routes in Soweto.

The decision was taken following the recent resurgence of violence between the two associations which also threatens the safety of passengers, residents and the general public.

The North Gauteng High Court, in 2020, ratified an agreement between Gauteng’s major taxi structures, the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance (GNTA) and the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO-Gauteng), giving the MEC powers to dissolve taxi associations involved in acts of violence.

“I am duty bound to ensure that public transport is safe and that the community is not forced to live under a stranglehold of violence. Public transport is there to make it easy for the commuting public to travel from home to work and back safely,” said MEC Diale-Tlabela.