Africa-Press – South-Africa. Law enforcement officers dispersed dozens of taxi drivers who tried to force their way into Kgosi Mampuru prison to attend a court case on the premises on Wednesday.
There are courtrooms in the prison facility, which fall under the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. The facility is often referred to as prison court.
According to Gauteng traffic spokesperson Sello Maremane, it is believed that the taxi drivers were at the prison to attend the court case of someone who had allegedly murdered a taxi driver in Marabastad last month.
They started to block the M1, which is adjacent to the prison.
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Maremane said a large contingent of taxi drivers then tried to force their way into the prison.
Law enforcement officers, including Gauteng traffic officers and Tshwane Metro Police Department officers, assisted correctional services officials to prevent the drivers from entering the premises.
They then used rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowd. The drivers left the area, but their taxis were left behind to block the road. Maremane said that more than 30 taxis had been abandoned.
By 11:00, Tshwane metro offices started towing the taxis away and the road was fully cleared by 13:00.
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