Cape Town - A minibus taxi operating licence has been cancelled after the driver refused to obey traffic officials at a checkpoint in George and sped off with passengers inside the vehicle.
The video of the incident circulated on social media on April 18 and captured the terrified passengers. The matter was reported to the Western Cape Mobility Department’s Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE), which confirmed the cancellation of a minibus taxi operating licence.
The PRE also received complaints from George Municipal Traffic Services and the Provincial Taxi Registrar regarding the driver’s contemptuous behaviour. Following this incident, the Mobility Department called for an inquiry into the matter, which allowed both the complainants and the taxi operator to present their versions what transpired that day.
The department said this decisive action supported their commitment to ensure safer roads for commuters and serious consequences for those who put peoples’ lives at risk.
“The driver of the vehicle was stopped at a routine checkpoint but refused to open any windows or doors to engage traffic officials. After making a call on his mobile phone, he drove off with municipal traffic officers in pursuit. The high-speed chase ended on the Thembalethu bridge, where traffic was gridlocked. He eventually abandoned the vehicle and ran off into the residential area. In his attempt to get away, he drove into oncoming traffic and disregarded several stop and other traffic signs. In the video, passengers can be heard screaming, praying and begging the driver to stop, but he ignored these impassioned pleas. He was later arrested,” the department said.
It said upon further inspection, officials found that a copy of the operator card was displayed with incorrect information. The vehicle was also off route.
“This type of route invasion is one of the main reasons for conflict and instability in the public transport industry. The outcome of the PRE’s inquiry was formally communicated to the minibus taxi operator on 12 June.”
Acting PRE chairperson Fadhiel Jattiem confirmed that the process was completed and that a decision was taken to cancel the affected operating licence.
Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape Minister of Mobility, said the PRE’s approach was to first correct the behaviour of operators and drivers.
“However, in certain cases, the PRE is compelled to exercise its most extreme statutory powers to set a good precedent for the Western Cape and to ensure that passengers are treated with respect and courtesy. We have a duty to rid the system of operators and drivers who refuse to comply with the law and actively make our roads more dangerous for everyone,” said Mackenzie.
He said this ruling to cancel this operating licence would also have an adverse impact on future applications made by the licence holder, given that the PRE was duty-bound to consider previous offences.
“Holders of operating licences must manage their businesses responsibly and monitor the behaviour of drivers. This incident could have had fatal consequences. The conduct of the driver compromised the safety of the passengers and other road users. Operators must understand that they have a duty to appoint reputable and properly qualified drivers and that they will be held indirectly liable for any violations committed by a driver related to their employment.”
Langa Langa, a community leader in George, said they welcomed the ruling as it would send a strong message to other taxi drivers who put the lives of people in danger.
“We can’t allow the lives of the people to be put in danger by people who disregard the law and risk the lives of other people while trying to save themselves. We welcome this decision, hoping that it will send a strong message to the taxi industry that they must put the people’s safety first and ensure that they arrive safe at their destinations,” said Langa.