‘It’s not illegal to pick up hitch-hikers, taxi associations must not act like police’: MEC Jackie Macie
Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Jackie Macie has condemned the attacks and harassment on motorists by taxi associations, adding that the law will take its course.
Several videos have recently gone viral on social media platforms showing motorists being intercepted by taxi associations’ patrol vehicles after the private motorists picked up hitch-hikers.
The rowdy taxi association personnel insist motorists have no right to provide transport to hitch-hikers. They argue that private motorists should not pick up the pedestrians - even if it is people known to the motorists.
As far back as 2022, IOL has reported that taxi associations, through their so-called patrol cars, have been intercepting vehicles that stop to pick up pedestrians on the roadside. The besieged motorists are then fined heavily, and their car keys are sometimes confiscated.
In one of the incidents captured on video, the driver of a Chevrolet Spark endured the wrath of a menacing taxi association’s patrol Toyota Corolla, with the taxi official driving erratically on the freeway, insistently blocking the moving Chevrolet Spark.
The incident apparently happened in Mpumalanga – a province which has become synonymous with the unruly taxi associations.
MEC Jackie Macie said while motorists are discouraged from giving lifts to pedestrians on the road, for safety reasons, taxi associations have no right to intervene or intercept the drivers.
“As the department of community safety, security and liaison, we are concerned with the reckless behaviour of our motorists on our roads, hence we condemn it in the strong possible terms that it deserves. As the department we are not going to fold our arms, watching what is happening because at the end of the day it causes unnecessary crashes and (the loss) of innocent people’s lives on our roads,” Macie said in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Africa.
“It is not a criminal offence for one to stand on the road and ask for a lift from any motorist. However, we urge our communities that they must use the public transport that is designed for them because we have encountered a number of serious challenges where people hike, getting a lift from strangers and you will find that somebody becomes missing or found dead somewhere.”
The MEC said at times pedestrians hitch-hike on the roads because they do not have enough taxi fares to pay the stipulated taxi charges.
“We are saying taxi owners cannot take the law into their hands. When they patrol, they harass these people who give hikers lifts. Along the process, they cause accidents, therefore, as a department, we indicated that it is an offence because for the incident we are talking about, there is a criminal case that has been opened,” Macie told the television news channel.
He said the victim - the Chevrolet Spark driver - has come forward.
The taxi association’s patrol official allegedly seized the Chevrolet Spark keys and demanded a “fine” of R2,500 from the motorist.
According to media reports, the Chevrolet Spark driver identified as Themba Mahlangu said police were not helpful as he fought to get his car keys back.
Macie insisted that taxi associations are not law enforcement authorities and have no right to interfere with motorists.
“There is no law that says that if they have security they must enforce the law because we have designated authorities that deal with that. When they (taxi associations) are doing that, they are breaking the law themselves. They are taking the law into their hands. It is a matter that we are not going to tolerate,” said the MEC.
Several social media users criticised the taxi associations across South Africa for infringing private motorists’ rights.
The social media users also lambasted police for inaction as the “lawlessness” continues to cause havoc on the roads.
In certain parts of Pretoria, IOL understands that motorists transporting goods and people are often intercepted and “fined” by the taxi associations.
IOL