Pretoria - Police in Mamelodi impounded dozens of minibus taxis on Monday morning in a bid to halt violence against a new bus operator.
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Traffic on Tsamaya Road was brought to a halt when police conducted stop and searches.
"Numerous taxis have been impounded, but the figures will be confirmed at a later stage as the operation is still ongoing," Tshwane metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said.
Buses were running on all the routes, with each bus getting a metro police and a Saps escort.
Not everyone was happy with the police presence. One commuter said the roadblock would result in people being late for work as Tsamaya Road was at a standstill.
Violence broke out in the area last week after minibus taxi operators tried to stop commuters from using the buses being run by Autopax, which replaced the Putco service. One bus driver was reportedly shot and several commuters were injured. Buses were pelted with stones and roads barricaded.
Putco announced last Monday that it would not renew three of its contracts with the Gauteng transport department to service parts of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and Sedibeng municipalities from July 1.