NTA: Maswanganyi is useless and hopeless

Thousands of taxi operators took to the streets of Pretoria on Wednesday to deliver a memorandum of grievances to the transport department and the Union Buildings.

While the march was peaceful, several roads where blocked - severely affecting traffic in the capital city.

Three taxi drivers were also arrested, two of them for assaulting a metro police officer. 

READ: : Striking taxi drivers arrested for assaulting a traffic officer

The NTA is demanding a subsidy for the taxi industry, that vehicle financing fees be reduced, operating licenses be issued immediately and for the e-hailing service Uber to be removed from the roads.

"They (Uber) are stealing our customers and they are illegally operating" said one meter taxi operator in support of the strike.

READ: Striking taxi drivers: Uber must fall

NTA president Francis Masitsa says Maswanganyi has treated the union with disdain.

"We are saying to the president to fire this minister, not only is this minister useless, he's hopeless and smokeless. We don't deserve such a minister. He is so arrogant, he explicitly said he is not concerned about the protest march."

Masitsa says while the regret that some matric learners were affected by the taxi strike, they had no option but to strike in order to get the minister to taken their grievances seriously.