The founder of Maklera Magazine Motsieng Mooketsi and his family were allegedly threatened by a mob of taxi drivers, operators, and patrollers on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
The intimidation was a direct response to the publication of a video on Facebook showing the assault of a seven-seater driver and a passenger, with some of the same individuals from the video appearing at the journalist’s residence.
The published video is showing the alleged assault and harassment of a door-to-door seven-seater driver and a passenger who recorded the incident that took place on Thursday, 19 February 2026. It is also alleged that some of the individuals who appear in the footage are among those involved in the intimidation.
Mooketsi, who is not the first journalist and independent content creator in South Africa to face threats and intimidation from taxi operators and industry-affiliated patrollers, particularly when attempting to document, report on, or film incidents involving the taxi industry, confirmed that he has opened a case of crimen injuria and intimidation at the Jouberton Police Station last week.
“In the early hours of this morning, an unprecedented mob of taxi drivers, operators, and patrollers arrived at the Founder’s private residence. This visit was a deliberate attempt to intimidate and coerce Maklera Magazine into removing the video from its Facebook platform.
“We strongly condemn this conduct. It is deeply troubling that an industry historically built and sustained by black commuters and township communities would resort to intimidation and aggression against a media platform that serves the very same communities. Such actions undermine public trust and threaten the constitutional values that underpin our democracy,” reads the statement released by Maklera Magazine.
The media outlet has also expressed their disappointment on the silence of the structure of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Region in relation to the recent incidents that threatens public safety, press freedom, and attacks accountability.
Taxi associations sometimes act as a “mafia” controlling specific areas and enforcing their own rules, which can make it dangerous for anyone to document their actions.
At the time of publishing this article, City Report could not get a response from the Santaco in the region.
