It has been a week since the streets of Sandton were illuminated by blazing cars in the attacks by drivers of metered taxis on drivers for ride-hailing apps Uber and Taxify. What action has Police Minister Fikile Mbalula taken to ensure the arrest of criminals who burn people alive in their cars? His news conference after the death of Lindelani Mashau, whose car was set alight by metered-taxi operators, was deeply disrespectful. Although a man had been burned alive in the streets, Mbalula talked about his favourite topic — celebrities — as he joked that Uber was great for struggling celebs who couldn’t afford fancy cars. It seems the man who often uses the scatological hashtag "wanya tsotsi" is incapable of getting his police officers to arrest any taxi tsotsis, even when they pull passengers out of cars and beat Uber drivers in plain sight of the police. How many more drivers must be petrol-bombed, burned with acid or shot before the minister decides to use his (mostly imaginary) c...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.