Gauteng crackdown: 91 taxis and drivers hit in week-long road safety sweep

The Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate (GTI) and Road Traffic Management Corporation carried out a high-impact, week-long stop-and-search operation across major metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng that removed unroadworthy vehicles from public transport corridors and exposed widespread non-compliance among minibus taxi operators.

What the operation found

The campaign, run under the banner #RemoveSkorokoro from August 3 to 9, led officers to discontinue 14 minibuses after identifying serious mechanical defects including faulty brakes, worn tyres and defective lighting systems. Inspectors also issued 20 discontinue notices to noncompliant motorists two in Tshwane, 13 in Johannesburg and five in Ekurhuleni.

The operation uncovered significant licensing lapses: 48 minibus taxi drivers were found operating without valid driving licences and 43 vehicles were found without valid licence discs.

Infringements and enforcement

To strengthen accountability, the inspectorate issued more than 500 manual AARTO infringement notices and processed 647 electronic infringement notices using its e-Force devices across the province. The electronic notices were recorded in multiple municipalities, including Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

Department response and safety message

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, praised the GTI’s work and framed the discontinuations as a safety necessity rather than a disruption to public transport.

“A public transport vehicle that is mechanically unsafe has no place on Gauteng’s roads. Discontinuing these vehicles is not about disrupting public transport; it is about preventing avoidable crashes and ensuring that every passenger who uses a public transport vehicle can do so with confidence that their safety is guaranteed,”

Diale-Tlabela urged taxi associations to address the use of incompetent or unlicensed drivers and warned that the results show the department’s commitment to strengthening compliance and restoring discipline across the province’s roads and public transport system.

Next steps signalled

The department said it will continue stop-and-search operations and work with law-enforcement partners to identify and remove unsafe vehicles and hold non-compliant motorists accountable. The campaign targeted high-risk public transport corridors with the stated aim of improving compliance with traffic and public transport sector regulations.

Officials described the activity as part of sustained efforts to curb lawlessness and criminal activity on Gauteng’s roads while improving overall road safety.