If you are travelling along a highway and spot a hitch-hiker along the way, you can stop and offer them a lift. However, if you charge that person for giving them a lift, then you are encroaching on taxi driver territory.
This is according to South African National Taxi Council national spokesperson, Mmatshikhidi Rebecca Phala.
Responding to chatter on social media, claiming that taxi associations were 'bullying' drivers on the roads if they were spotted picking up hitch-hikers, Phala said the comments made by Santaco Mpumalanga chairperson, Fanyana Sibanyoni, were misappropriated.
According to reports, Sibanyoni supported patrollers stopping drivers for picking up hitch-hikers.
Taxi patrol car: this happened last week after the motorist apparently wanted to give a pedestrian a lift…
[WATCH] pic.twitter.com/UUy73lkn3F
"Santaco is expressing grave concern that there is an uptake of use of private vehicles in exchange for monetary fees by South Africans a practice known to many as ‘hitch-hiking’.
“Naturally, the practice threatens the core of our business as a collective of operators permitted by respective Provincial Regulatory Entities to offer transport to the commuting public as it translates to monetary gains being ill gotten by private vehicle owners. In expressing the concern, we are not condoning the violation of civilians," Phala explained.
She said the council equally sends unequivocal sentiments of condemnation for the varied violations meted on road users in the name of the taxi industry.
"We urge people to always remember the dangers associated with hitch-hiking and risks such as abduction, rape, murder and other similar concerning acts. We want to reiterate that we are working closely at the level of associations to undertake disciplinary proceedings and we encourage members of the public to continue reporting these acts to both associations and law enforcement so to facilitate the course of justice.
"We are adamant that much more work needs to be done in collaboration with law enforcement for a clamp down of violations to be realised and for South Africans to always travel safely to varied destinations," Phala said.
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