Police fire teargas and rubber bullets at taxi drivers in Durban

The taxi drivers and owners had marched from Botha Garden, eventually reaching the old Durban drive-in where around 30 to 40 taxis had been impounded.

On the way, drivers and owners intimidated members of the public and reporters from taking video footage of the march. They burnt rubbish in the street, tipped over concrete bins, vandalised the municipal bus depot and damaged metro police vehicles as they marched to the drive-in.

Once there, taxi driver and owner leadership began negotiating with city management to get their taxis released from the pound.

However, for an unknown reason, drivers then began pelting police with stones.

Police responded by firing teargas and rubber bullets, which was followed by stones, spades, knobkerries and sticks being hurled back at police.

A News24 reporter on the scene said there were around 60 police in the pound during the negotiations.

Taxi owners complained that there was a backlog at the provincial transport department.

 

Author: News24

NewsWire ID: 4177

File photo: Gallo images