N2 traffic grinds to halt over Port Shepstone taxi dispute

Newswatch can confirm that taxi drivers and operators downed tools in the Ugu District Municipality. 

This is after they were told to vacate a taxi rank in Port Shepstone's CBD. 

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) says it didn't make sense for drivers to move to a new holding area as it's too far from the rank. 

"The driver decided to park in the parking metres which are within the CBD, which then led to chaos in the CBD and I believe there was a meeting which was called by the law enforcement agencies and in that meeting, they then instructed the taxi operators, the owners, to inform their drivers that the vehicles will be given notices if they are found parking on the parking bays which are designated within the CBD as well," says the council's Sfiso Shangase. 

READ: Protestors force closure of N2 Port Shepstone and Paddock

On Tuesday morning, the drivers used their vehicles to block the N2 between Port Shepstone and Paddock in protest. 

Shangase says there was no directive sent from Santaco. 

The drivers made the decision to demonstrate. 

"Hopefully, there might be an intervention during the course of the day where an engagement between the law enforcement agencies, as well as our local leadership, could come up with an amicable solution. We don't foresee it taking too long."