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Pretoria – Striking taxi drivers have turned on motorists in Tshwane, smashing cars and attacking pedestrians.
- Are you there? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.
Drivers embarked on illegal protest action in Tshwane on Wednesday morning, blocking several roads and railway lines and pelting passing cars with rocks.
The protest has escalated in Bremer Street just off the Mabopane highway. Drivers armed with sticks and rocks are destroying cars in transit – huge rocks are being used to smash car windows. Panicked motorists are forcing their way through the traffic in a bid to escape the chaos.
News24 witnessed a taxi being pulled over, its occupants forced out, the driver beaten whilst still in the driver seat and then forced to join the protest.
There is a large police contingent around CBD as taxis make their way towards Tshwane House
Earlier taxis were stopping at each intersection wielding large sticks and rocks. Damaging cars and chasing after pedestrians. This behavior eventually stopped when police arrived, but taxis continued to break road rules and intimidate all who are in their way along several roads in Mabopane, Ga-Rankuwa, Soshanguve as well as the Mabopane highway have been blocked by taxis.
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Police were also present in Mamelodi where the taxi strike was supposed to originate from. Apart from attempts to block roads earlier this morning, main routes in and out of Mamelodi have not been blocked or obstructed and taxis in that area were operating as normal.
The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) said the protest was illegal, as drivers did not have any applications to protest.
Taxi drivers are expected to make their way to Tshwane House in the CBD to hand over a memorandum complaining about law enforcement handing them tickets which prevent them from renewing their licenses.
#taxistrike BREAKING: taxi drivers are violent near PTA CBD, jumping out of taxis with sticks & rocks, damaging cars, chasing pedestrians
— Alex Mitchley (@AlexMitchley) August 16, 2017
#taxistrike Taxi drivers are now stopping, intimidating and beating other drivers who are operating normally in full view of police @News24 pic.twitter.com/fFQRKQyBwt
— Alex Mitchley (@AlexMitchley) August 16, 2017
