SowetanLive reports that taxi commuters in Soweto have demanded that rival taxi associations must resolve their issues in order for closed routes and ranks to be reopened.  

Residents made the demand during a community meeting in Orlando on Tuesday, where they met with Gauteng roads and transport MEC Ishmael Vadi as a result of the closure of six taxi ranks.  Vadi shut down these ranks and taxi routes being used by the Witwatersrand African Taxi Owners' Association (Wata) and the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) due to ongoing violence between those taxi associations.  An Orlando West resident said it was unfair for commuters to suffer because of the two associations' failure to resolve their differences.  Another resident said she has been forced to walk long distances in the scorching heat since the barring of the two taxi associations.  Vadi indicated that Wata and Nanduwe had already signed an agreement committing to end their violence.  He said their agreement was currently before him, but he was reluctant to commit to a decision without engaging the community and whether it was convincing enough to reopen the affected taxi ranks.

• Read the full original of Tankiso Makhetha’s report on the above at SowetanLive

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