Roads Under Siege: Can Trust Be Rebuilt Between Taxi Associations, Motorists and Commuters?
This evening, we’re opening a difficult but necessary conversation about safety, trust and the growing
tension on our roads. Recent incidents, including a widely shared video from Vanderbijlpark, have reignited public outrage after taxi patrollers were seen assaulting a motorist accused of ‘piracy’. Police are investigating, and SANTACO has condemned the attack — but the incident has once again exposed a deepening rift between taxi operators, motorists and even commuters. SANTACO says these clashes are linked to a growing trend, especially around the holidays, of private motorists using their vehicles to transport people who would ordinarily use minibus taxis. But for many South Africans, that explanation raises more questions than answers — about where enforcement ends and vigilantism begins, about who has the right to police our roads, and about why ordinary people
increasingly feel unsafe behind the wheel.