Cape Town taxi drivers blocked major routes yesterday demanding that the authorities to scrap the fines they were issued/given for breaking the law,causing mayhem in the CBD.
Taxi drivers owe the City of Cape Town more than R30 million in fines.The drivers blocked the roads to protest against what they say is unfair treatment by City of Cape Town traffic officials.
They’re upset about fines and warrants of arrests issued for them and some people took more than an hour to get home on a trip that would normally take 15 minutes.
Olwethu Xaba a taxi driver said they were breaking the rules because they needed attention from the provincial government. The Cape Town taxi drivers blocked the roads in a bid to get the attention they needed he said.
But traffic officials went head-to-head with taxi drivers, and with the help of the police, impounded scores of taxis that were blocking roads.
The drivers, however, say they’re not going to pay their fines because they simply can’t afford to on their wages.
The City of Cape Town’s JP Smith says the law applies equally to everyone and taxi drivers are not above the law.
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