Speaker, the UDM is concerned about reports that a Bloemfontein taxi driver repeatedly assaulted a pedestrian, after having bumped him with his taxi. This is indicative of a new culture of road rage engulfing South Africa. There is a growing trend in South Africa where motor-vehicle drivers, particularly taxi drivers, show no consideration to fellow road users.
This story is the tip of the iceberg regarding the extent to which taxi drivers abuse fellow road users and commuters. Daily our people are either witnesses to or victims of horrific abuse by taxi drivers. We all know how they show a complete disregard for the rules of the road. The taxi industry seems to be a law unto itself. The UDM calls on the Department of Transport expediently to intensify efforts to modernise this industry in order to curb the abuse of fellow road users and restore law and order.