ANA reports that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) on Tuesday said it would vet minibus taxis before they would be allowed to operate on reopened Soweto routes.  

Earlier this year in March, authorities shut down six Soweto routes because of a violent dispute between the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) and the Witwatersrand Taxi Association (Wata).  The affected routes included the Dube taxi rank, Uncle Tom’s, Jeppe station, Mofolo Park and Makita.  Nanduwe and Wata recently signed a "peace treaty" paving the way for the routes to be reopened.  The GPG’s statement on Tuesday indicated that, as stated in the agreement, common stickers would be affixed on all 200 taxis operating from various loading points.  The vetting would further ensure that stickers were not issued to illegal taxi operators.  Verified vehicles would be able to immediately resume with operations.  “It is important for us to verify and authenticate the operators so that we avoid a situation where we have illegal taxis operating on the disputed routes and ranks.  We will not compromise on the verification process as this will help us find a long-lasting solution,” said Roads and Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo.

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