Police minister Bheki Cele is visiting Port St Johns on Thursday to address the ongoing taxi violence that resulted in six people killed and six others injured, including an 11-year-old child, in January.
Cele is being accompanied by transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and premier Oscar Mabuyane.
Cele, along with commanders from affected policing districts, will discuss the SAPS’s response to the taxi disputes.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said: “The minister will engage the management of the SAPS in the province on their responses to the taxi disputes and at the same time engage the community and relevant stakeholders to bring lasting solutions to taxi-related violence.”
The meeting will be held at the Eluxolweni Hall in Port St Johns.
The feud, between the Lusikisiki branch of the Uncedo Service Taxi Association and the Port St Johns branch of the Border Alliance, Taxi Association (Bata), had been over control of the R61 route between the two towns, with Mthambalala the focal point of the dispute.
Violence erupted on January 9, with three people shot dead at the Mpatu taxi rank in Port St Johns.
In a second attack on January 16 at the Bata taxi rank, three Uncedo security guards were shot dead and six other people were injured, including an 11-year-old boy.
During a meeting in Mthatha on Tuesday, national and provincial leaders of Uncedo and Bata resolved to immediately stop the violence, reiterate the working relationship between the two associations, and restore peace and harmony along the route.
The meeting also called for the speedy arrest of those involved in violence, with a fine imposed on the branches associated with road blockades.
A fine of R700,000 for each branch, with R200,000 due within five days and the remaining R500,000 suspended, was not for acts of violence but for road blockades.
Future road-blocking activities risk the imposition of suspended fines and potential loss of operation permits for taxi operators.
The Port St Johns taxi violence displaced thousands of pupils at 40 schools last week.
Community members and the business community, represented by the Port St Johns Development Forum, marched to the local police station on Friday, demanding Cele’s intervention in the taxi violence.
This came after the release of 11 security guards employed by Uncedo, who were arrested on Wednesday but released on Thursday due to insufficient evidence.
Cele, along with his delegation, returned to Port St Johns after the march.
In May 2023, the minister visited the conflict-ravaged Majola villages, and in March 2018, he addressed taxi violence in Mthatha, shutting down routes until peace agreements were reached.
He is expected to address breakthroughs in the case of slain OR Tambo finance department employee, Namhla Mtwa, who was shot nine times in her car in Sidwadwa Park, Mthatha, on April 21 2022.
In a January 12 interview, Cele hinted at an imminent announcement regarding the case.
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