The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga calls on Law Enforcement and Public Works, Roads and Transport Department to urgently engage taxi operators to stop taking the law into their own hands by abusing motorists and other Public Transport Operators who are accused of not following the National Land Transport Act (NLTA).
This week, Mpumalanga branch of Topstar Local & Long-Distance Transport Association (TOPSTAR), sent out a Social Media alert threatening that as from 1 March 2025, they will impound 7-seater vehicles that are transporting the public and school children without existing Operating Permits and Public Liability Insurance. They also threatened to prohibit such vehicles “within the routes of Topstar Taxi Association”.
DA agrees with TOPSTAR that public transport that does not have existing Operating Permits and Public Liability Insurance must not be allowed on our roads. But we are against the fact that TOPSTAR is taking law into their own without consulting the Provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and following the existing Transportation Laws of the Republic of South Africa, specifically prescripts of the NLTA.
According to the Mpumalanga Public Works Department, only the Transport Inspectorate of the Department is tasked with ensuring that all public transport operators within the province adhere strictly to the rules and regulations established under the NLTA. With that being said, TOPSTAR must be reminded that only a traffic officer from the department is allowed to impound a non-compliant vehicle, and only the department can prohibit any form of vehicle from using certain routes in the province.
The DA also requests law enforcement and the department to act against the so-called Taxi Patrollers who are allegedly bullying, harassing, and illegally impounding vehicles of motorists who give hitchhikers lifts. Currently, there’s growing outrage in Mpumalanga over several viral videos showing taxi patrollers harassing and impounding vehicles of motorists who give hitchhikers lifts.
Mpumalanga motorists have not heard of any condemnation from the department concerning these illegal actions that have been taken by the taxi operators for some time now. We have seen motorists being mishandled, assaulted, and those who had their cars illegally impounded by these taxi operators, but we have not seen any action from the department and law enforcement
Now it’s an opportunity for law enforcement and Public Works, Roads and Transport Department to take decisive actions to dismiss the long-standing assertion from the public that they are nothing but toothless dogs when dealing with Taxi Operators who have become law unto themselves.