Taxi drama continues – eighteen drivers arrested

ABOUT 18 taxi drivers were arrested yesterday, after the fracas that started on the streets of Windhoek on Monday continued yesterday morning outside the Katutura Multi-purpose Youth Centre.

The chaos was ignited by protests against a municipal regulation – and a N$300 fine for violating it – that requires taxi drivers to permanently fasten taxi signs to the roofs of their cars – an act the drivers claim would force them to damage their vehicles.Monday’s protest saw about 4 000 taxi drivers take to the streets in protest – both forcibly and voluntarily. Yesterday’s follow-up reportedly involved numbers ranging anywhere from six to 200 drivers. The public relations officer of the City Police, Max Hipandwa, confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that some drivers were arrested. He said they had been arrested for acting in the same manner as on Monday, and for preventing other taxi drivers from carrying out their daily work. Hipandwa further cautioned that taxi drivers should wait for the scheduled meeting between the Namibian Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) and the City Police slated for August 17 before taking to the streets in protest.But it seems it is distrust of Nabta that is partially to blame for the action of some of the drivers yesterday morning.According to Joseph Salomo, one of the drivers arrested yesterday, the only reason the group had gathered was to start a procession to the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, where a petition was to be handed over.The petition, amongst other things, calls for the establishment of an independent union outside of the Nabta structure.’Nabta doesn’t consult with the taxi drivers and takes sole and crucial decisions on our behalf. Government [should] allow us to establish an independent union to represent the taxi drivers, and allow a multi [-faceted] approach in governing the taxi business,’ reads one point of the petition.Other points call for the use of magnetic taxi lights as the solution to the problem, an explanation of the purpose of the ‘blue paper’, protection from the City Police given the ‘danger’ to the lives of taxi drivers, increased and improved loading zones for loading passengers, and strict action to be taken against pirate taxis and/or taxi drivers found to have been involved in any crime.’Taxi drivers want to be part and parcel of the solution…, hence a reciprocal approach by the City Police in addressing these concerns will be most welcome,’ they write.Salomo says they had only gathered outside the Youth Centre to be escorted to the Ministry by the Police, and that they had been given permission by the Windhoek Police Station to carry out their demonstration. He says they were not causing any disturbances when they gathered yesterday, and claim the Police used unnecessary force in arresting 18 of them. He says a teargas canister was even thrown among them while they were in the back of the Police vehicle, causing one of the taxi drivers to be hospitalised.Asked what their next course of action would be, Salomo said they would approach the National Society for Human Rights for assistance, and would also have a meeting amongst themselves to decide on how to move forward.But Windhoek Police Station Commander Robert Sanjahi says that no formal letter giving permission for a march was issued to the group, and that given the resolution to decide on a final solution between Nabta and the City Police on August 17, the group should not have taken to the streets.Sanjahi says it appears there was ‘a lot of misunderstanding’ about the resolutions reached on Monday, but noted that he would not condone the flouting of national laws.He told The Namibian that he was not sure what the taxi drivers were charged with after they were arrested, but opined that they may have been charged with ‘public violence’ and the ‘disturbance of peace’.Both Hipandwa and Sanjahi say were unaware of teargas being used against the taxi drivers.Meanwhile, Nabta president Magnus Nangombe has distanced himself from the chaos on Monday and yesterday, as well as from alleged threats of violence by some drivers against the Police.He told The Namibian that Monday’s demonstration was meant to have been a short and concise discussion around the need to have taxi signs permanently affixed to the vehicles.He said taxi drivers acting in this manner were doing so without the knowledge or blessings of Nabta, which he said would never condone such activities.’I assure the Namibian Government and the nation at large that Nabta will never take an irresponsible decision like that. This country is governed by laws. I would also like to urge taxi drivers and owners involved in these illegal demonstrations to stop doing so. It is uncalled for. ‘The association does not support your actions, and if you get caught, we will not assist you,’ he said.He said Nabta was happy with the agreement reached with the City Police on Monday, to meet again on August 17.At that meeting, Nabta is set to provide the City Police with alternative ideas of how to permanently affix taxi signs without damaging the vehicles.- denver@namibian.com.na and nangula@namibian.com.na