Friday, October 24, 2014

Tsamaya street not tsamaya-ing

''Tsamaya'' means to go or walk in Sotho, but on Tsamaya street in Mamelodi, near Pretoria, nobody was going nowhere fast after an argument over taxi routes, police said on Friday.
Sapa report minibus taxi drivers have closed down the street because the drivers disagreed in principal about the usage of certain routes, according to Captain Johannes Maheso.
Roads in the township were blocked with rocks and burning tyres with the main street, Tsamaya. being the most affected.
Maheso said a meeting was held to find an amicable solution and it was agreed that the debris would be removed from the roads. He said it was not rival taxi unions but just the taxi drivers who were at loggerheads.
Maheso explained that the “small business” drivers (who operate with their private cars) and minibus drivers disagreed over routes.
The situation was under control, with law enforcement officers from different units deployed in the township.

Three cars had reportedly been damaged, but the extent of the damage still had to be ascertained, Maheso said.