Durban — The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has confirmed that there are disputes about the misuse of funds within the Klipriver Taxi Association in Ladysmith.
On Saturday, videos of a shooting at the rank run by the association went viral on social media.
In the videos, commuters and pedestrians were seen taking cover as gunshots continued to be fired. This caused further panic among some people on social media, who said they felt unsafe with such shootings taking place in broad daylight.
Sifiso Shangase, the Santaco spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, said the council went to Ladysmith towards the end of 2023 and spent a month there trying to stabilise the situation in the association and bring peace.
“There are allegations of misuse of funds of the previous committee; this led to the hiring of accountants to handle the books. The committee was also dissolved and elections were held for the new committee,” said Shangase.
He said executive members of the previous committee were being attacked. Shangase further said that as the council they would allow the police to do their job and arrest those who were committing crimes.
“What we can do is to find solutions and see if this association can still be controlled. All we want is peace,” he said.
Earlier last year, Minister of Police Bheki Cele and provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi went to Ladysmith to meet the taxi owners and the traditional leaders to find solutions.
This after a number of taxi owners and drivers were killed in the area. A peace agreement was signed at this meeting.
Cele said that even with the signed agreement in place to resolve taxi-related violence in the province, those found guilty of violence will not be absolved of their crimes and should, therefore, prepare to face the music.
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