Mazwi's Diary

Why resort to the gun?

A friend of mine is getting married in July. Unfortunately he did not make proper arrangements for his wedding luncheon. He is now running in circles trying to book a suitable venue for the lunch. Most places are fully booked.
Being Mr Know-It-All, I advised him to book the hall at the Wiggins Multi-Purpose Centre which is cheaper than most places. The facility is also classified as Grade A and is only R88 per hour for weddings and receptions.
Family intervention
His family intervened in the most shocking manner. "No ways. We are not going there," they said. "Why not?" I asked in shock. "Because we are from Chesterville, you silly," they responded. "So what?" I asked, still not understanding what was going on.
Taxi war
"Have you not heard that there is a taxi war going on between their taxi association and our taxi association," was the response. We argued until we were blue in the face. I guess they must have won the argument because my friend agreed not to book this venue.
To cut a long story short, unless the taxi wrangle in the area is resolved, the ordinary person in the street will continue to fear for his life. While the powers that be are delaying the final judgement regarding routes to be used by the two associations, three people have died and many more have been injured (two people are in a critical condition in hospital).
When will it end?
For now, the on-going violence is only really affecting people who are associated with the taxi associations. But will it end there? My plea is for the warring parties to sort out their differences. Surely people can resolve their problems - and get on with business -without resorting to the gun.

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