Gauteng MEC threatens taxi rank shutdown over safety

Taxis seen at a rank in Johannesburg.

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Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says her department will shut down taxi ranks if negotiations fail, in what the MEC says is a bid to force taxi owners to prioritise public safety.

This was one of the key discussions at a prayer session in Soweto. It follows the fatal shooting of three officials from the Soweto taxi group WATA in Mofolo on Monday. Diale-Tlabela says taxi violence has claimed 59 lives since January.

“We are worried because they are not only killing themselves but they are also killing innocent citizens; women and children are really affected by this that’s why we are taking a stance on that in the six months of closing these ranks we must be able to overhaul the system and change the regime of how things were done” Diale-Tlabela says.

Gauteng MEC for Roads & Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, led a group of women to Uncle Tom’s Hall in Orlando, Soweto, for a prayer session against the recent surge in taxi-related violence across the province. #SilenceTheGuns
#AgaLeRona #GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/kisjIUD57U

— Gauteng Provincial Gov (@GautengProvince) April 10, 2025