- Thirteen taxis and three minibuses were torched at Nyanga Taxi Rank on 9 February, with police investigating arson and deploying additional officers to ensure safety.
- Santaco’s provincial chair, Mandla Hermanus, suspects internal infighting over taxi rank collections as the cause of the fires.
- Despite the incident, taxi bosses assured commuters of their safety and pledged to work with authorities to maintain calm in the area.
Taxi bosses have moved swiftly to allay fears of instability and the escalation of violence in the industry after several minibus taxis were torched in Nyanga on Sunday 9 February.
It is alleged that the incident occurred around 22:00.
At least 13 taxis and three minibuses were burnt during the incident at Nyanga Taxi Rank. The cause of the fire remained a mystery, but police are probing an arson case.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said additional officers have been deployed to the area following the incident. The facility remains opened for commuters, she added.
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“Local officers and fire services were called out to the taxi hub after flames were seen coming from some vehicles,” she said. “Official reports also indicate that three minibus taxis were completely destroyed and 13 damaged as a result of the fire that is probed by officers. A case of arson is being investigated by the detectives and no arrests have been made yet.”
Potelwa added that the deployed officers would remain in the area until calm had been restored
Chair of the South African National Taxi Council of South Africa (Santaco) in the province Mandla Hermanus condemned the torching of the taxis, citing infighting within the association as a factor.
“Looking at the way the taxis were parked, there is no way that the fire could spread easily from one taxi to another,” he declared. “Other taxis were parked far from the others. We believe there is someone who started the flames.
“It may be the infighting within the association about the money collected at the taxi rank,” he said.
However, Hermanus vowed that the commuters were safe to use them. He said Santaco had communicated with the officers and vowed to monitor the situation.