Gauteng govt establishes task team to deal with taxi-related violence

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng government has established a task team to deal with taxi-related violence in the province.

This follows a recent spike in disputes, which authorities attribute to fights over routes between rival taxi associations.

In the first three months of the year, at least 59 people were killed in taxi violence in the province.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the task team will come in handy to curb the violence.

“We also identified the issue of taxi violence. We've now recruited a team that we’ve been procuring for almost 12 months to address the serious problem of taxi violence. This is a completely new unit. We call them “Abo Nja Ndini” – it’s a no-nonsense unity, well-armed, well-resourced, and operating on a 24-hour basis.”