TWO thugs learnt the hard way that you do not mess with taxi drivers.
This after they hijacked a woman at Faraday Taxi Rank in Joburg on Thursday, 21 October.
The thugs tried to run away, but the taxi drivers caught them.
One of the taxi drivers, Vuma Mkhonto said they heard a woman scream for help and went to check what was happening.
“We saw she was being hijacked by men driving in another car. We then hit our hooters and sped towards the cars,” he said.
He said the hijackers didn’t know what to do when they saw them approach.
“They left the car and tried to run away. We chased after them and were able to catch one of them,” he said.
Vuma said they did not beat the hijacker, but called the police, who were nearby.
The police arrested the suspect and the car was immediately recovered.
Another taxi driver, Siphosenkosi Ngwenya said they couldn’t let criminals turn their workplace into a playground.
“This is no place to hijack cars. We do not tolerate that. Not just cars, we do not tolerate criminal activities in our work area,” he said.
Siphosenkosi said they acted whenever they saw criminal activities.
Faraday Taxi Rank chairman, Baba Xaba commended the taxi drivers for their bravery.
“It shows that we really care for our customers as the taxi industry,” he said.
Joburg Central police spokesman, Captain Xoli Mbele also commended the taximen.
He said one of the suspects was caught and arrested while the other one escaped.
“The arrested suspect appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Monday, 25 October on a charge of car hijacking and his case was postponed.
“If people could be like the Faraday taximen and do something when someone is in need, the city could be safe,” he said.
However, Mbele advised people not to try to apprehend criminals as they could be heavily armed.
He asked for people to note important descriptions and call the police.
