Welkom taxi strike ends in bloodshed, six taxi drivers nabbed!

An ongoing taxi strike which has left many commuters stranded in Welkom, has resulted in bloodshed after taxi owners squabbled amongst themselves on Thursday.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 09 March at around 03:30, a 31-year-old Eastern Cape taxi driver arrived in Welkom and parked at Diesel Electric in Jan Hofmeyer Road. The driver was dropping off a passenger from Mthatha.

Suddenly, a group of African men approached him and asked why he operated a taxi during a taxi strike. The 31-year-old responded that he did not know of taxi strike. The men then assaulted him with fists and stabbed him with a sharp object on his arm.

According to Lejweleputswa police spokesperson, Captain Stephen Thakeng, suspects also robbed the victimR10 000 cash, Nokia cellphone, bank cards and a Stylo cellphone.

“Stolen items amount to approximately R11 000,” added captain Thakeng.

At around 03:25, the police registered a malicious damage to property case at Welkom police station. This followed a another group of taxi drivers allegedly breaking a bus’s window. The white Mercedes-Benz mega bus was travelling in Lantana street in Reitzpark, Welkom, and the window is valued at R2 000.

At around 09:30, the police were forced to use stun grenades and rubber bullets. This followed several warnings from the police to taxi drivers not to block the road with rocks. The taxi drivers threw stones at the police and blocked the road.

A police report states that a case of public violence has been registered for further investigation but there are no detainees.

Later during the day, about 50 taxi drivers blocked the road complaining about traffic officers’ harassment and bad road conditions. They obstructed the road and the police warned them to move their vehicles out of the road, but they refused.

In an attempt to overpower them, taxi drivers encircled the police.

“Officers of the law once again used stun grenades and rubber bullets to defuse the situation,” read the police report.

The police arrested six suspects for obstruction of free flow of traffic the under the Toad Traffic Act and Public Violence.

Members involved in the arrests Welkom POP Task Team, Welkom Visible Policing, Traffic Police, Matjhabeng and Provincial Traffic Department.

All suspects will soon appear before Welkom Magistrates Court.