KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr. Willies Mchunu up the gear with measures to ensure taxi industry stability and commuter safety
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Willies Mchunu has assembled a team of legal experts to interrogate all pieces of legislations with the view of tightening control and interventions to end conflict in the taxi industry and ensure commuter safety. This team is expected to advise the Department on aggressive but legal approaches in addressing violence and instability in the taxi industry.
MEC Mchunu was addressing the provincial Transport Portfolio Committee in the Legislature – where he also indicated that the Department was now more proactive in addressing conflict in the taxi industry.
“We have engaged the team of lawyers to work with the Department in looking for loopholes in our legal system. They will look at provincial and local regulations. This will help us put together a legal strategy that will help deal with those who are undermining the rule of law in the taxi industry. We are tightening control in taxi ranks and we want to end the culture of displaying heavy firearms by private security contracted to the taxi industry,” said Mchunu.
Mchunu also briefed the legislators about the latest interventions approved by the Provincial Executive Council (Cabinet) to address taxi conflict in KwaMaphumulo. Recently, MEC Mchunu visited the area and announced Cabinet's decision to, among others, declare intentions to shut down the route should the security situation continue to deteriorate and to apply extensive and intensive law enforcement.
“In Newcastle we have started working with the municipality in ensuring control and regulating operations at the taxi rank. This is now yielding positive results. We are going to be replicating this approach to other areas that are experiencing problems. Ultimately, we want to monitor everybody entering and exiting taxi ranks through installing advanced camera systems in taxi ranks where there is violence. We are optimistic that we are now winning the war and arresting instability in the taxi industry,” said Mchunu.
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