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Pretoria Central 20 NOVEMBER, 2020 • 012-842-0300 Reports streamed in of a bus hijacking and motorists being violently attacked as taxi drivers blocked streets and off-ramps across Tshwane to demand Covid-19 relief fund payments. Not-so-peaceful taxi protest Sinesipho Schreiber and Keitumetse appointed roads and transport MMC protesting taxi drivers. Maako Dikeledi Selowa. Pastor Joel Johannes Peens and “At our meeting on Tuesday, the his wife Santie were on their way to On Wednesday morning, taxi association undertook to protest a nearby pharmacy when they were Tshwane residents were violently peacefully. blocked off by a taxi and another intimidated and a city bus “Their actions go against the spirit vehicle at the corner of Hendrik and hijacked in the north during of the right to protest as enshrined in Van der Hoff streets. supposedly “peaceful” protests the constitution,” she said. Santie said the men got out of throughout the city by taxi The metro subsequently decided to the two vehicles with weapons and drivers. recall all of their buses. approached her and her husband. The protests also left Selowa said this was done to not “All I could remember was that my thousands of frustrated only protect their assets, but also the husband told me I should run to safety. commuters and motorists safety of both drivers and commuters. “From a distance, I saw how they stranded and stuck in Meanwhile, Tshwane metro pulled my husband out of the car. traffi c as roads in the east spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the They started hitting him with objects of Pretoria as well as driver was hijacked “ostensibly by and kicking him. They also damaged Centurion were blocked. [protesting] members affi liated to the our vehicle. Shortly after, they sped The protest march National Tax Association (NTA)”. off , leaving my husband in a critical was supposed to “During our meeting, they said that condition,” said Santie. have been limited to the protest would start at 10:00 and Santie said she took her husband to the city centre, as that it would be peaceful. Thus, we the nearest hospital for treatment. marchers delivered allowed our buses to operate early this She said they will open a case at the a list demanding the morning. We were going to withdraw police station later today. payment of Covid-19 them just before the protest got Streets directly aff ected by the relief funds by underway,” Bokaba said. march included Sophie de Bruyn, the government “Our drivers have been warned to Bosman, Paul Kruger, Hamilton and to the transport not operate in The Orchards.” Steve Biko. department By mid-morning on Wednesday, The NTA has distanced itself from buildings as well Bokaba had confi rmed that both the the violent incidents. as the Union driver and bus had been released and NTA spokesperson Theo Malele said Buildings. the bus was taken to a depot. it noted reported incidents of violence “We condemn The passengers were reportedly on social media and urged law the hijacking forced off the bus by protesters. enforcement departments to deal with of one of our In one incident, resident Petrie those engaged in violent activities. buses in The Vogel captured on video a protester “We heard there have been calls to Orchards smashing her car’s windscreen with a violence, which we strongly abhor. We area and the truncheon. call on law enforcement agencies to threats that Although Vogel sustained step in because that is not what we had were made minor injuries, she said she was agreed on.” against our left traumatised by the attack that Police spokesperson Colonel Brenda drivers,” happened while driving in Waterkloof Muridili said the police received said the Ridge when protesters blocked reports of intimidation from motorists Tshwane Eridanus Road near the intersection of by the protesters. metro’s Rigel Avenue. “We can only report on the number newly In another incident, a pastor from of violent cases later, once all people Hercules, west of Pretoria, was aff ected have offi cially reported the brutally assaulted, allegedly by cases,” said Muridili. 2 NEWS PRETORIA CENTRAL REKORD 20 NOVEMBER, 2020 Metro to investigate ‘increase’ in the bills Noxolo Sibiya pay R800 or more for her bill. Engelbrecht said she believed that The newly re-elected Tshwane council Tshwane’s billing system was incorrect said it will look into why residents’ water and she had fi rst encountered this problem and electricity bills have skyrocketed in 2005/2006 when it was resolved - until under the temporary administrators’ it started up again three years ago. leadership. “I am absolutely not willing to pay. We “We are concerned about the signifi cant already paid more than we owe on which rise in debtor levels from R12.6-billion they earn interest and we don’t,” she said. in March to R17.4-billion at the end of She said she has sent queries to the October 2020,” said fi nance MMC Mare- metro, but none of the queries were met Lise Fourie. with any action. Engelbrecht said even She said a “high-priority” investigation though her bill was not extreme, the issue would be held into meter reading was a matter of principle and consistency performance, estimations and the success from the side of the metro. of the incentive schemes developed On average the metro receives about All uniformed TMPD offi cers were instructed to proactively enforce the by-law. Photo: File during the lockdown. 1 457 notifi cations and queries regarding “These investigations will highlight billing per month through their CRM problem areas for correction as soon as platforms. possible,” she said. Fourie said on average 83% of those Recently, Tshwane residents have were resolved. Tshwane metro to deal with complained about receiving exorbitant “Every eff ort will be made to ensure water and electricity bills that would be that each complaint logged with the city double and, in some cases, triple their is investigated and resolved as soon as increasing illegal dumping usual bills. possible. In August, the metro’s billing system “Where a dispute is lodged on an came under the spotlight when the metro amount owing by an owner in respect of Last year, more than 600 illegal dumping sites in the metro had appointed 34 debt collection agencies municipal services, the owner shall make were identifi ed and the fi gure has since increased. to recoup more than R12-billion owed to regular minimum payments based on it by residential and business customers. the calculation of the average municipal The debt collection agencies were account for the preceding three months Reitumetse Mahope “Eradicating illegal dumping is therefore a appointed with eff ect from 2 November prior to the arising of the dispute.” key executive priority. 2020 on a three-year contract to collect The metro’s spokesperson Selby The Tshwane metro has prioritised its “To this end I had engagements with the the outstanding debt from 93 113 Bokaba said the metro had tried to resources on eradicating the increasing Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief of Police residential and businesses. recover the outstanding debt through crime of illegal dumping in various regions responsible for Specialised Policing, and Some residents questioned the other less drastic measures such as credit in the city. with the TMPD’s by-law enforcement unit legitimacy of the debt. control actions, debt calling and via MMC for Community Safety and regarding enforcement of the city’s waste Groenkloof resident Klarissa electronic reminders. Emergency Services, Karen Meyer, said management by-law.” Engelbrecht said she was not willing to All these eff orts were, however, in vain. the metro was aware of the proliferation of Meyer said she had also spoken to the illegal dumping across Tshwane. MMC for Environmental and Agricultural “This situation has been exacerbated by Management and the Group Head of the outright failure of the administrators the Department about the liaison and to manage and provide for adequate waste interface between the TMPD and the waste removal during their unlawful tenure.” management division. Meyer said last year, more than 600 illegal She said the following key actions had GRANITE KITCHEN QUARTZ dumping sites in the metro were identifi ed. been instituted by her department interfaced SURFACES Like us on “This has evidently increased as residents with others: R456.53 R1138.72 Facebook (Rekord), dumped household and garden waste in open - The Chief of Police has issued a directive to see what’s fi elds, on roadways and outside municipal to instruct all uniformed TMPD offi cers in happening in your facilities.” every region to proactively enforce the by- community She said the Tshwane metro had become law and to apprehend suspects. 30MM and take part in the committed to ensuring that various regions - The TMPD will provide her offi ce with 30MM 20MM conversation. in the metro were stable, safe and that its weekly statistics on the number of illegal XXXJOUFSOBUJPOBMHSBOJUFDPNQBOXXXXXXJOUOOUFUFSSOOBUBUUJPOOBBM MHSBBOJUJUFUFFDPNQQBBOOZDPNtJHDKIC!TXJTTTUPOOZZZDPNt JHDDKKKIC!ICC!!TXTXXJTJJTTTTTUTUUPOOFFD DPNPN offi cials delivered. dumping cases reported, the number of JHDQSFHDQSFSFUFUUPSSJBJ!JB!B!!TXTXXJT JJTTTTTUTUUPOFDPNtOOFDPNt 008383 222288 56654544 incidents they responded to, and the number of incidents proactively identifi ed and addressed. - The TMPD will also inform the waste NOW OPEN management division in the Department of Environmental and Agricultural LOUIS PASTEUR Management of reported illegal dumping INSOLVENT ESTATE AUCTION - ARCADIA incidents for these to be cleared. Follow us Meyer said members of the public were UNIT 1 SS JUANITA, 601 STANZA BOPAPE STR. DENTAL CLINIC AUCTION DATE: THURS, 26 NOVEMBER 2020 @1PM on Twitter therefore encouraged to report incidents of illegal dumping when they encountered Family Unit situated for regular All Dental Gold them to the TMPD at the 24-hour contact in secure complex at R350 cash! news updates, line on 012-358-7095/012-358-7096, or via comprising of: U, L & full shape breaking email at [email protected].