Obey rules, city’s taxi drivers told

THE City of Windhoek has warned that it will not tolerate unruly behaviour, such as the blockade of streets by some taxi drivers last Monday.

In a strongly worded statement, the municipality said it was a criminal offence to obstruct traffic or abandon vehicles on public roads. “The continuous and worsening unruly behaviour by some taxis in the city will not be tolerated.The majority of taxi drivers … disregard rules governing road traffic as regulated by the Road Traffic and Transportation Act,” the City’s Corporate Communications Manager, Ndangi Katoma, said in a statement.He said taxi drivers with grievances had to follow legal procedures.This is what is expected of any civilised and law-abiding citizen in a democratic society like Namibia, and taxi drivers are no exception, he said.The Chairperson of the Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) Interim Committee, Magnus Nangombe, supported the Municipality’s statement, saying it was illegal for taxi drivers to block public roads.Asked when Nabta would hold a congress to elect its leadership, Nangombe said this could only be decided after the association had received a response to its petitions from town councils and Ministries.In petitions handed over to a number of local councils, the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Local Government last week, Nabta called for by-laws and regulations to govern the transport industry.According to Nangombe, the absence of such laws was the cause of Nabta’s internal problems, as it had no power to enforce rules among its members.On Monday morning last week, some taxi drivers blocked eight of the city’s main access routes to the Central Business District.The City Police had to call in NamPol’s Task Force and Special Field Force to disperse them.”The continuous and worsening unruly behaviour by some taxis in the city will not be tolerated.The majority of taxi drivers … disregard rules governing road traffic as regulated by the Road Traffic and Transportation Act,” the City’s Corporate Communications Manager, Ndangi Katoma, said in a statement.He said taxi drivers with grievances had to follow legal procedures.This is what is expected of any civilised and law-abiding citizen in a democratic society like Namibia, and taxi drivers are no exception, he said.The Chairperson of the Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) Interim Committee, Magnus Nangombe, supported the Municipality’s statement, saying it was illegal for taxi drivers to block public roads.Asked when Nabta would hold a congress to elect its leadership, Nangombe said this could only be decided after the association had received a response to its petitions from town councils and Ministries.In petitions handed over to a number of local councils, the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Local Government last week, Nabta called for by-laws and regulations to govern the transport industry.According to Nangombe, the absence of such laws was the cause of Nabta’s internal problems, as it had no power to enforce rules among its members.On Monday morning last week, some taxi drivers blocked eight of the city’s main access routes to the Central Business District.The City Police had to call in NamPol’s Task Force and Special Field Force to disperse them.