Another new mafia taking hold in South Africa

A new and alarming trend is gripping South Africa as taxi operators increasingly adopt mafia-style tactics to intimidate and extort private citizens, schools, and businesses.

What started as a regional issue has now escalated into a nationwide problem, drawing criticism from politicians, civil society, and law enforcement.

Despite condemning the tactics, the response from regulatory bodies has been lukewarm at best, allowing these aggressive tactics to persist unchecked.

Carte Blanche recently highlighted disturbing incidents where taxi operators, with the excuse of protecting their livelihoods, have resorted to threats and violence to control passenger transport.

Horatio Hendricks of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has raised similar concerns over taxi operators’ growing aggression, particularly in the Eastern Cape, where private transport providers for schoolchildren have been targeted.

In Mthatha, taxi drivers have not only demanded payments from these operators but have also blocked them from dropping children off at schools, insisting that the children be transported by taxis only.

This problem isn’t just in the Eastern Cape.

In Limpopo, taxi associations allegedly issued directives to schools and employers, warning learners and employees to use taxis exclusively for their daily commutes.

In Gauteng and Mpumalanga, reports have surfaced of taxi association enforcers patrolling roads and aggressively confronting private motorists who give lifts to pedestrians, family members, or coworkers.

Some of these patrollers have even stopped vehicles and demanded on-the-spot fines—actions that amount to extortion.

Defending these operations, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has claimed that patrols are merely a security measure to safeguard their business.

Mpumalanga chairperson Fanyana Sibanyoni argued that private motorists carrying passengers without a permit infringe on taxi operators’ rights.

However, this justification holds no legal weight.

National police commissioner Fanie Masemola has clarified that taxi enforcers have no legal right to stop vehicles or impose fines.

Their actions constitute harassment, and only law enforcement officers have the authority to regulate traffic.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has condemned these activities as blatant intimidation and extortion.

Stefanie Fick, an executive at OUTA, stressed that these so-called patrols have no legal basis and that motorists should report them to authorities.

Fick also noted that the white lights used by taxi enforcers on their vehicles are restricted to registered security providers under the National Road Traffic Regulations, further proving the illegality of their operations.

Even though officials are aware of these problems, not much is being done to stop them.

Carte Blanche has shown how taxi associations continue to use threats and violence to maintain control. A young woman from Daveyton shared her experience online after her father picked her up from work.

A taxi enforcer stopped them and accused her father of running an illegal taxi service. They had to argue before he finally let them go.

Her story went viral, and as many as 14,000 people shared similar experiences.

In Sandton, taxi officials from various associations have been seen actively patrolling the streets, ensuring their self-imposed rules are followed.

One enforcer told Carte Blanche that they were “protecting their livelihoods,” which encapsulates the growing belief within the taxi industry that they have the right to control all passenger transport.

SANTACO spokesperson Rebecca Pala acknowledged the controversy, admitting that these actions fuel public perceptions of taxi operators as lawless.

However, despite SANTACO’s acknowledgement of the problem, taxi associations rarely impose meaningful consequences on members who engage in intimidation and extortion.

Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Sello Morani has issued a stark warning: taxi operators do not have the right to stop vehicles or demand payments.

Over 50 arrests were made last year in the province for such illegal activity, but he conceded that law enforcement alone cannot solve the problem.

Morani urged the public to report extortion attempts rather than comply, yet many victims remain sceptical of the authorities’ willingness or ability to intervene.

Some individuals, fearing corruption within law enforcement, choose not to report incidents at all.

The emergence of taxi mafias adds to South Africa’s growing problem of organised crime. The country is already battling so-called “construction mafias” that extort contractors, “water-tanker mafias” that exploit water shortages, and other extortion rackets targeting businesses.

Now, taxi operators are taking a similar approach, enforcing their own rules through threats and violence.

The lack of decisive government action has emboldened these groups, leaving ordinary South Africans vulnerable to exploitation.