Litigation: Warring Gauteng taxi associations get violence ban

The Gauteng Roads & Transport Department has obtained an order interdicting violence between the Witwatersrand African Taxi Owners Association and the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association. A TimesLIVE report says this comes after years of conflict between the associations over city routes. On Saturday the associations clashed again, leaving six taxis badly damaged after being torched in the city CBD. According to the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) interdict, the ‘chairpersons of both associations and their members are interdicted from preventing, obstructing or otherwise interfering with the rights of taxi operators and/or any public transport operators to operate their transport businesses between Soweto and Johannesburg CBD'. The interdict also prevents the associations from intimidating and committing or threatening to commit acts of violence against any public transport operator, their agents or employees and members of the public who make use of or who want to use bus services between Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD. The interdict empowers the police and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety to take necessary steps to ensure the associations comply with the court order.