Durban – The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements has hit back at a notice allegedly issued by Klipriver Scholar Transport and other social media claims about road blockages, warning that such actions are illegal.
Department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said there had been growing media queries following the circulation of the alleged public notice. “We wish to indicate that it is illegal for anyone to stop cars, pull out passengers and force them to use taxis,” Sibiya said.
The issue is not new. In October last year, MEC Siboniso Duma raised the matter in a meeting with provincial police commissioner Lt General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO). Following that meeting, the MEC instructed the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) to keep a close watch on such incidents together with the police.
The PRE, which operates under the National Land Transport Act, is tasked with monitoring and overseeing public transport, issuing operating licenses, and ensuring regulatory compliance in KwaZulu-Natal.
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The department also moved to quash further social media reports suggesting that “SANTACO members have blocked roads” and that drivers are not allowed to carry more than one passenger, even if they are family or colleagues.
“We have contacted SANTACO in KwaZulu-Natal. The organisation has denied knowing the existence of such activities and has distanced itself from such illegal operations,” Sibiya said.
The department has urged the public not to be misled by fake notices or unlawful instructions and to report such incidents to the authorities instead of circulating them further online.
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