Home

Tempers flare between Andile Lungisa, taxi industry members in the Eastern Cape

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Tempers flared on Thursday during a meeting between former ANC Nelson Mandela Bay councillor, Andile Lungisa, and the taxi industry members at Terminus taxi rank in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

The meeting was part of the agreement between the taxi industry and Lungisa for him to crisscross the metro, encouraging people not to loot.

The taxi industry members refused to listen to Lungisa accusing him of lying.

Lungisa was accused through social media messages of being a mastermind behind attempts to loot across the metro. But he’s denied the claims and says his name is being used for ulterior motives.

Over the past couple of days, rumours have been swirling around alleging that Lungisa, was coercing people with money to loot in the Nelson Mandela Metro. Upon hearing this, taxi owners took to the streets to safeguard malls.

And with the help of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which was deployed at certain malls in Gqeberha, there was no sign of looting.

On Wednesday, the taxi industry asked Lungisa to distance himself from the alleged threats of looting in the metro.

Lungisa said looting is against the law.

“What I am saying is that we have come to an agreement that we will not allow any looting, any person who has an issue, there are those courts, the constitutional courts.”

This was welcomed by the taxi industry.

Lungisa began his first community engagement at the local taxi rank on Thursday where he got a hostile reception.

“The taxi industry is very important, all businesses which are owned by black people in Nelson Mandela Bay, also in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. There must not be any looting, you know, looting to any businesses which are owned by black people, especially the taxi industry. Nelson Mandela metro taxi industry has taken a giant step to work with us, to go to communities, to make sure that there is no looting.”

Lungisa says he will be going around other townships in Gqeberha over the next couple of days clearing his name while also encouraging residents not to loot.

Residents in Gqeberha say they will not allow any looting to take place: 

Author

MOST READ