More than 90 taxis and private vehicles taken off roads during operations

Taxi operators who failed to comply with road traffic legislation were issued with infringement and discontinuation notices. Traffic law officers have jointly removed 99 minibus taxis and private vehicles after issuing discontinuation notices during operations aimed at clamping down on illegal driving. These vehicles have been found with serious mechanical defects, including faulty brakes, worn tyres, defective headlights, and cracked windscreens, amongst others. Unroadworthy taxis This comes after weekly high-impact stop-and-search operations conducted by the Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP), Gauteng Transport Inspectorate (GTI), in partnership with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which led to the removal of several unroadworthy vehicles from public roads. These stop-and-search operations were conducted across Gauteng from 20 to 26 July 2026, where taxi operators who failed to comply with road traffic legislation have also been issued with infringement notices. These operations further uncovered the widespread non-compliance within the public transport sector after officers stopped and found a total of 34 minibus taxi drivers operating without valid driving licences, while 53 operated without valid licence discs. Invalid licenses Officers impounded 42 vehicles, which include 19 minibus taxis, 17 private vehicles and six learner transport vehicles in the Laudium and Olievenhoutbosch areas. The MEC of Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, warned motorists and operators who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol, operate without valid driving licences or disregard road traffic laws will face the full might of the law. “Law enforcement agencies will continue to conduct high-impact law-enforcement operations to protect motorists and commuters alike,” the MEC added. “Critical to road safety” Emphasising that these operations remain critical to road safety, regulatory compliance and traffic law enforcement strategy. “They are also instrumental in disrupting criminal activities, improving visibility, removing unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles, and contributing to safer roads. The Department of Roads and Transport has called on public transport operators, particularly minibus taxi and scholar transport operators, to visit their nearest Transport Operating Licensing Administrative Boards (TOLAB) offices to verify their application statuses and/or collect their operating licences without delay. 36 motorists arrested Officers also arrested 36 motorists on offences including fraud, cable theft, contravention of the Immigration Act, attempted bribery, defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, driving under the influence, as well as reckless and negligent driving. More than 700 manual Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) infringement notices were issued: 77 in Tshwane, 321 in Ekurhuleni, 246 in Joburg and 83 in Sedibeng. Along with a total of 60 traffic fines that were issued for various violations, including overloading, driving without a valid driver’s licence, and driving without a professional driving permit (PrDP). Meanwhile, 41 J534 (guilt fines) were distributed to motorists for road traffic and public transport-related offences, along with 874 electronic infringement notices that were also issued.