Gauteng traffic officers pulled 69 minibus taxis off the road in one week this month.
The figure is almost five times higher than the weekly figure recorded at the start of August.
But the number of drivers caught without valid licences has barely changed.
The Gauteng Transport Inspectorate (GTI), working with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and other law-enforcement agencies, found 104 minibus taxi drivers operating without valid driving licences between 14 and 20 September.
Officers also found 70 taxis operating without valid licence disc’s. Another 19 taxis were impounded for failing to meet minimum road safety standards.
The defects included faulty braking systems, worn tyres and non-functional headlights and brake lights. Some vehicles also had faulty indicators.
The operations were carried out under the department’s #RemoveSkorokoro campaign.
The crackdown resulted in 75 discontinuation notices across the province.
Mogale City accounted for 42 notices. Johannesburg recorded 24, followed by Ekurhuleni with five, Tshwane with three and Sedibeng with one.
Mogale City, which is a local municipality and not a metropolitan municipality, accounted for more than half of the notices.
Officers also issued 850 handwritten AARTO infringement notices.
Johannesburg accounted for 324 of them. Ekurhuleni had 163, Tshwane 151, Sedibeng 121 and Mogale City 86.
A further 646 notices were processed electronically through the inspectorate’s e-Force devices.
Three were arrested for alleged bribery. Two others were arrested for contraventions of the Immigration Act.
The latest figures show a sharp increase in the number of taxis being taken off the road.
Between 3 and 9 August, officers discontinued 14 minibuses. They also found 48 drivers without valid licences and 43 vehicles without valid licence discs.
The following week, 16 taxis were discontinued. Officers found 49 unlicensed drivers and 46 vehicles without valid discs. One person was arrested for bribery.
For August as a whole, the department reported 268 minibuses without valid licence discs and 296 drivers without valid licences.
The latest operation raises a question about compliance.
The number of taxis being removed from the road has risen sharply. But the number of unlicensed drivers caught each week has remained relatively high.
The department has not said whether this reflects more intensive enforcement, a large pool of non-compliant drivers, or both.
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela described the crackdown as a road safety measure.
She said removing non-compliant vehicles and drivers from the roads was necessary to protect commuters and other road users.
Diale-Tlabela warned taxi operators against putting unlicensed drivers or vehicles on the road.
She said doing so was against the law and put passengers at risk.
The MEC also said engagements with the minibus taxi industry would continue.
The department said enforcement operations would continue.
It warned that drivers and vehicles that fail to comply with road traffic laws would be removed from public roads.
