A devastating fire at the Nyanga taxi rank that destroyed nine vehicles has sparked a call for security cameras at transport hubs.
In the early hours of Friday, Nyanga police officers on patrol in Terminus Road, Nyanga, around 1:30 a.m. spotted smoke coming from the taxi rank and rushed to the scene immediately.
They found five Quantums and four Sprinter taxis on fire and called Fire and Rescue Services to extinguish the blaze.
According to the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi, the taxis belonged to their members.
“We can confirm that the taxis belong to CATA, but we do not know the reason for the fire. We would also like to know what the cause of the fire is or why CATA members are being targeted.
“We have been pleading for cameras at the taxi rank because if there were cameras, it would have been easy to identify the perpetrators.
“There is no taxi dispute or fight about routes; everything is peaceful.
“Sometimes these attacks are not taxi-related, but someone decides to torch taxis because they know it will get a lot of attention, there are many factors surrounding incidents like these.
“This is another silent kill; it is not a physical death, but it is a sad situation because these are families left with no income or food on the table,” Sityebi said.
Western Cape MEC for Mobility Isaac Sileku said he immediately instructed his department officials to gather information after hearing about the incident.
Sileku said the incident followed another taxi torching last year at the same rank.
Police spokesperson Captain F.C van Wyk confirmed: “Early Friday morning, 6 March, at about 1.30pm, whilst Nyanga SAPS members were busy patrolling Terminus Road, Nyanga, they noticed smoke coming from the taxi rank.
“They immediately investigated and found nine taxis alight. Fire and Rescue Services were alerted to extinguish the fire. An enquiry was registered for investigation. No injuries were reported.”
He added that cops will increase patrols at taxi ranks.