TWO taxi associations, Wata and Nanduwe are fighting over routes in some parts of Soweto.
Wata spokesman Hamilton Miya said they have spent millions trying to resolve the issue with Nanduwe the legal way, but that hasn't been fruitful.
Miya said their war was started by government officials who gave Nanduwe routes that already belonged to them.
“Wata was formed in 1972 and we were operating on these routes even before Nanduwe was formed. Nanduwe was formed in the early 90s. It was formed by brothers we worked with,” he said.
Miya said there hasn’t been any breakthrough even after they spent millions on this issue.
“Even izinduna sitting under a tree can judge this case. We don’t need professionals or judges. The question should be: who was operating before 2015?” he said.
The fight over routes began in 2015 when Nanduwe allegedly took it upon themselves to verify who the routes belonged to.
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“When we went to verify in 2015, we found that the routes belong to Nanduwe. We went to the high court for the four routes. When we got to the high court, three court interdicts said the routes belong to us. There has never been peace since,” said Nanduwe spokesman Joseph Ngcobo.
He blamed government for not implementing the court order on Wata.
“Government should come forward and tell us who the routes belong to. Wata needs to stop lying. They know very well that those routes are not theirs,” he said.
Ngcobo said the only way forward is for Wata to admit that the routes are not theirs, then they can work on finding a way forward that will work for them.
“One hundred people have died during our conflicts. Four people died in December, we lost three people in January and two have been hospitalised,” he said.
He disputed the allegations made by Wata that they attack them wearing balaclava.
“They're the ones who attack us. We have never worn balaclavas. They are the first people to intimidate us by hiring private security,” he said.
