SA's high unemployment contributes to taxi violence: Transport Minister

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said the high rate of unemployment has contributed to taxi violence.

Creecy said this is because more people want to join the already oversaturated industry and they end up fighting over routes.

Residents in Cape Town have had to contend with disruptions in their commute recently due to turf wars that have ended in deadly shootings and the torching of vehicles.

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Speaking on 702 on Friday morning, Creecy said taxi violence is criminality and should be treated as such.

She said what is most concerning is that commuters bear the brunt of these fights and are left stranded.

Creecy said many of the disputes come from operators wanting to work on the same routes.

“More people want to operate on profitable routes than there are profitable routes to absorb them, and so people get pushed out.”

The minister said that the Easter Road Safety Campaign will also address zero tolerance for taxi violence.