Support for taxi party

“Government is giving us temporal permits to operate in certain routes and if that route is closed for some reason, we get fined for using alternate routes.

“Fuel increases are implemented without consulting us. If we’d stop operating and stop going to the garages to fill our taxis, the economy can fall immediately,” he said.

Seyamo added that even the banks depend on them.

“Government doesn’t assist us, instead it is oppressing us, because they want our industry to fail so they can take over.”

He described the “unnecessary” roadblocks manned by law enforcement officers as a tactic to frustrate taxi commuters to “dump taxis” for alternative transports.

Seyamo said commuters had motivated and supported them in their new endeavour to start their own organization to fight for their rights.

“Our commuters believe that if we can stand up for our own, we can be able to fight the fuel increase. So the commuters will also be safe on their side,” he said.

Codeta spokesperson Besuthu Ndungane refused to comment, saying he had no mandate to speak to the media.

Sindiswa Kelem from Makhaya, who works at N1 City, said: “I fully support them because our government is no longer fighting for the poor people. They way they increase petrol and paraffin cost and I believe there are many other people who can support them (the taxi association).”