Hundreds of Taxi Drivers Caught Without Licences in Gauteng

Gauteng’s intensified traffic enforcement blitz is laying bare a long-standing problem in the province’s taxi industry: too many drivers are on the road without valid licences and passengers may not even know it.

In just 14 days, officers found 496 taxi drivers operating without valid driver’s licences. That works out to roughly 35 unlicensed taxi drivers every single day.

A New Unit Taking No Prisoners

The Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate (GTI), launched in June, is still relatively new but already a visible force on major routes. With only 96 officers, their mandate is ambitious, cut down on taxi violence, enforce compliance, and restore commuter confidence in public transport.

Between 29 September and 12 October, the GTI recorded:

• 496 taxi drivers without valid licences

• 234 taxis without licence disks

• 189 taxis discontinued for being unroadworthy or non-compliant

• Plus, one motorist (not a taxi driver) arrested for cloning a licence disk

Gauteng MEC for Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, has made it clear that this isn’t a once-off media splash. “We are reclaiming our roads,” she said. “We are restoring order and instilling discipline in the interest of road safety.”

What Commuters Are Saying

On social media, frustration has mixed with relief. Some taxi users say this crackdown is long overdue, pointing out that many taxis speed, overload, skip traffic lights and treat lanes like suggestions. Others worry about delays and disruptions during rush hour if fleets are pulled off the road.

Taxi associations have not issued official statements yet, but historically, enforcement against the sector has sparked pushback or negotiation, depending on how far government pushes.

The Licensing Backlog No One Can Ignore

Here’s where it gets complicated: South Africa is still recovering from a half-a-million licence backlog, caused by the breakdown of the national licence printing machine earlier this year.

The Department of Transport waived the cost of temporary licences from July to ease the pressure, but the backlog hasn’t fully cleared. Some drivers argue they’ve applied, but delays have left them in limbo a weak excuse in the eyes of law enforcement, but a real logistical issue nonetheless.

A Province Pushing Back Against Chaos

Over the same two-week enforcement period, GTI officers wrote:

• 1,600 manual infringement notices, and

• over 2,000 electronic fines using handheld e-Force devices

Weekly operations will continue indefinitely, forming part of the province’s long-term public transport compliance strategy.

“The safety of our commuters and the integrity of our licensing system remain non-negotiable,” said Diale-Tlabela.

A Bigger Battle Than Licences

Behind the stats is a bigger picture: South Africa’s taxi industry moves more people daily than buses and trains combined. Yet, it remains notoriously under-regulated, resistant to oversight, and vulnerable to corruption from licensing to route enforcement.

The GTI crackdown may be the strongest attempt in years to restore basic compliance. But with decades of lax enforcement behind us and hundreds of thousands still waiting on licences, the question is whether government can sustain the momentum and whether the taxi industry will cooperate or clash.

For now, commuters are watching closely, hoping this marks the beginning of safer, saner roads in Gauteng.

{Source: The Citizen}

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