CANDICE BAILEY
L ARGE numbers of police were sent to parts of Hendrik Potgieter Road in Ruimsig last night to prevent another shootout between two rival taxi associations.
Yesterday, a taxi owner from the Dobsonville, Roodepoort, Leratong and Joburg Taxi Association (Dorljota) was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on the corner of Hendrik Potgieter and Peter roads in Ruimsig.
The shooting appears to have been sparked by fighting between the Dorljota drivers and their longtime rivals, drivers from the Faraday Taxi Association.
Two other people who were shot and injured were in hospital in a serious condition. One of those was a Dorljota taxi owner and the other a passenger forced out of a passing taxi.
Members of Dorljota allegedly drove along Doreen Road towards the Hendrik Potgieter intersection (known as the Poortview stop-off for taxis) and started shooting at Faraday members who were parked at the intersection. They retaliated, sparking the melee.
Last night, a police Nyala was parked at the traffic light. Members of Joburg’s Public Order Policing Unit and the metro police were at the intersection to keep the peace.
Some officers said they would stay at the intersection until 10pm, when the taxis stopped operating.
Tensions over the routes have been simmering since Monday – and at least four taxis have allegedly been vandalised.
Dorljota travels from the Joburg CBD and the rank opposite Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital to Poortview. Faraday drivers take over at this intersection and drive to Pinehaven and the Silverstar Casino.
Godfrey Khoza, from the Faraday Taxi Association, said last night the problem started on Monday when Faraday signed an agreement with the Bara City Taxi Association to transport commuters from Bara to three stops – Poortview, Pinehaven and next to the Mr Price along Hendrik Potgieter.
Dorljota would still transport commuters from Bara to Clearwater Mall.
The agreement has still to be signed off by the registrar.
Khoza said that on Monday afternoon his association’s drivers got the go-ahead to start collecting commuters at Bara for the three destinations. When they did so, it sparked an outcry from the other drivers.
The two associations met on Monday at the Honeydew police station, where they decided to speak to their drivers in a bid to calm them down until the decision was finalised.
Dorljota spokesman Zeblon Simelane was not available for comment late yesterday.
Provincial SAPS spokesman Colonel Tshisikawe Ndou said the police were investigating one murder and two attempted murder cases.
He said the situation was tense but under control.
By 7pm there were no taxis on the route, and commuters who usually catch taxis outside the Featherbrooke Village mall to the Joburg CBD, the Bara rank and Hillbrow were left stranded as Faraday drivers failed to pitch up.
Commuter Julia Mosima, who lives in Hillbrow and works at the mall, said she was so desperate to get home she would jump in the first taxi that stopped.
“I’m scared but don’t have any other option to get home. There are no buses that come here. There is nothing I can do.”
Mosima has been travelling this route since 2009.
She said she had notified her employees of the shooting and told them that if there were no taxis today, she would not be able to come to work.
The Faraday, Dorljota and Bara taxi associations were expected to meet at the registrar’s office at 10am today.