Five staff members from South Africa’s logistics utility were taken hostage by an Mpumalanga taxi association in an attempt to intimidate Transnet into dispensing with the branded vehicles used to transport employees.
According to Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), the hostage situation, which has subsequently ended, played out in Ogies yesterday morning.
TFR said: “Lives were put at risk when members of the Ogies Phola Taxi Association (OPTA) hijacked the vehicles transporting staff from various areas.
“The incident happened shortly after 6am when staff were on their way to collect colleagues in four Transnet-branded vehicles.
“Staff and drivers were driven to a nearby taxi rank against their will and held for several hours.”
The freight-rail division of the state-owned company added that the incident had been sparked by an outcry from OPTA wanting to provide the transport services for TFR staff.
“TFR currently outsources the services to a third-party service provider.”
Negotiations with OPTA ensued to secure the release of the staff members, who are currently receiving trauma counselling.
TFR also reported that OPTA had held on to the vehicles while negotiations were under way, but the taxi association later relented.
“Investigations into the matter continue and formal statements will be provided on Tuesday by the victims to the South African Police Service. No arrests have yet been made,” said TFR.
Commenting on OPTA’s opposition to the outsourcing of transport services required for its staff in Ogies, TFR said the contract for the leasing of vehicles had been concluded in 2020, leading to the appointment of a successful bidder through a fair, open-tender process.
“The vehicles are specifically utilised to ferry employees in the operations and infrastructure departments of TFR who work outside normal working hours – early in the morning and late into the night, when no public transport is available.”
TFR said the vehicles were not of a specific type and included utility vehicles because of the roads they were used on, normally gravel roads.
The sub-contracting of transport for certain staff members is also in accordance with the specific functioning of people required to work outside office hours.
Attempts to approach OPTA for comment are ongoing, as are attempts to find out more from the SAPS about the progress of its investigations.
