CAPE TOWN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- South African Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi on Tuesday made an urgent appeal to meter-taxi drivers and those operating cars by using Uber technologies, urging them to end the spate of violent attacks on each other.
"This kind of behaviour which breeds intimidation and anarchy stands condemned and should not be allowed in our public transport system and our country in general," said Maswanganyi.
This came following the recent spiralling attacks and counter attacks involving meter-taxi and Uber drivers in parts of the country.
Several people have been killed in violence related to the rivalry between meter-taxi and Uber drivers.
Last weekend, an Uber driver died of injuries he sustained in an attack on June 10 by an unidentified group of people. In the attack, the driver's car was set alight. His death fueled anger among Uber drivers.
In self-defence, Uber drivers also launched counter attacks on meter-taxi drivers. Uber has hired private security to protect drivers and customers at violent hot spots.
Maswanganyi strongly denounced the spate of violent attacks, which he said "are not in keeping with the government vision to promote a safe, reliable, effective, efficient, coordinated, integrated and environmentally friendly public transport system."
"These attacks are also against the ethos of the society we are seeking to build, a society free of hate, violence and crime," he added.
Maswanganyi said he will soon be meeting the Meter Taxi Association as well as Uber Management to deal with this debacle.
Uber drivers have called for a meeting with Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to help stop the violence.
"As government, we will also work with all the Ministers in the Security Cluster as well as other relevant government departments to have a multi-pronged approach in dealing with this debacle," said Maswanganyi.
Maswanganyi called upon members of the society with any knowledge and information of the perpetrators of this violence and criminality to report such gruesome incidences to the law enforcement agencies.
Also on Tuesday, the Labour Department welcomed a ruling by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) that Uber drivers are the employees of the company.
The ruling is in line with the Labour Relations Act which means that any person who falls in that category is an employee and therefore fully covered in terms of labour legislation, the department said.
With regard to the Uber drivers, like any employees, there are no exception and these drivers are fully protected by the South African Labour Laws, Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said.
