Things back to normal in Delft

Loyiso Langeni
07 Novemeber 2013

Calm has been restored to Delft Community this morning after 100’s of Delft community members marched through the Delft Main road calling for a peace on the taxi violence that has been going for months. Where memorandum of demands from a Delft Community and Delft Taxi Association were exchanged calling for government intervention.

Rival taxi groups have been violently fighting over routes for the past few weeks. Delft Taxi Association Member Alvert Mtiwane said they feel that government has failed them as they have not showed up ever since the shooting.

“We strongly believe that they should have visited the Delft community long time and listen to what the people want” Mtiwane added.

One of the demands by the taxi drivers is that they want a taxi rank in Delft and they should be awarded a status as an Independent Taxi association.

 

Section 12 Chairperson Nomphumelelo Kupiso said they are not safe anymore in their community. Some parents are failing to send their children to school due to the ongoing taxi violence.

Some children had not gone to school to write their exams. They joined the march calling for peace too.

One of the victims Andile Mntwapi that was shot on the 18^th May 2013 shared his story “there were three people in the taxi and I was coming from work, a private car showed up nowhere and they shot at us. I was shot at my right leg and one person died immediately,”

The Delft Police promised that both memorandums will be handed over to Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle until then they will hear from him.