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So, as a South African its quite refreshing hearing these stories from someone who isn't personally involved or affected by the subject matter. Alot of times when you watch south african youtubers talk about these things alot of personal opinion and conjecture gets involved. Fantastic work.
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling.
As a South African, many of us feel like the country is a social experiment because many things are just weird. I was once caught in some taxi violence nonsense a few meters from my house, I had to crawl the rest of the way home so that I would not get hit.
South Africa is a very interesting country. Definetly, if you're outside looking in, it seems like some social experiment. I wish the South African people the best.
Didnt realise that Jake Tran has so Many South African Subscribers. As a South African myself I'm glad you did your research, and give our public transport a global platform
As a South African who's been a fan of your channel, this was a fantastic surprise! It's incredible to see this information from a different perspective
@@syfodias-jedimaster nope, 2013. Fun fact though, Mandela "dying" in the 1980's has become such an entrenched rumour online that it's where we get the Mandela Effect from
This is a great channel, and as a South African I have even more faith in your thoroughness and research skills. I have two critiques/suggestions: Firstly the use of the Blood Diamond footage was quite tactless. It’s a very very different scenario. That’s depicting a war-zone in Central Africa. Whereas the violence in the taxi industry plays out much less publicly and dramatically. Yes there are instances of skirmishes here and there, but as someone whose taken taxis for years and lived in SA since I was born, you more hear of things then see any war zones. There definitely aren’t groups running around in military gear with AK47’s. As Africa being shown as a “jungle”, “war zone” etc is rooted in our colonial history and often racist stereotypes, I just being a bit more sensitive to that. This video would have been on the mark if it just stuck to archival footage of the actual situation. Secondly, you mentioned that the the ANC and IFP were the “two” organisations at the forefront of the Anti-Apartheid movement. Unfortunately this view reflects the erased history, as those movements are still very strong and have made sure to only emphasise their role. The UDF (United Democratic Front) was one of the cornerstones, and a national movement that encompassed a non-racialist principle that brought together all races and was a pre-cursor to the “rainbow nation” theme of the new SA. Also the Pan-African Congress (PAC) was also bigger than the IFP and was initially the only other major anti-apartheid movement besides the ANC. And then of course there’s Black Consciousness, which was led by Steve Biko, very difficult to quantify as is more an intellectual movement, and survives as such today.
You have to remember Jake has a whole team to make these videos so I doubt he was personally responsible for the footage used in it that would fall in the shoulders if the video editor I would think. But yes very tasteless on behalf of whoever was responsible for the footage used.
As an uber driver, we live in fear of taxi owners. They dictate how we work. There are certain places that we can't pick up people at (malls, certain roads etc) and when we complain nothing is done, they even take your car and want a fine of R5000 for disobeying their orders. The police do nothing, the government does nothing we just listen to them and if you try to object then you'll probably get a beating or death even and guess what? Nothing is done to them! It's their way or the highway.
Minibus taxis don't have the same clientele as Uber drivers. Most of the violence against Uber drivers have been from traditional metered taxi drivers, but that only happened for the first couple of years when Uber was introduced into South Africa. It still happens here and there but the majority of the conflicts have been resolved by now. Minibus taxis transport the working class while Uber drivers transport the middle class and up. They don't compete with each other because they don't have the same clients. Someone who can afford Uber is not going to take a minibus taxi and someone who takes a minibus taxi generally can't afford an Uber.
@@eulogyv2lastname501 A gun won't help shit. You're imagining that the Uber driver's going to pull out a gun, kill a couple people, then pick up his passenger and roll away like it's nothing. In reality, if you bring the gun and you're on your own, you're as good as dead. Carrying a gun in that situation is nothing but false reassurance. And second, why should someone be willing to murder for an Uber trip? Fuck that.
Another resident from Durban, South Africa in the province of KZN. Just wanted to say mad respect to you Jake. Allt he facts and the way you summize them in this video essay are impeccable. Love the channel brother!
That awkward moment when Jake knows more about your country than you do lol. This was exceptional Jake. Your thoughtfulness integrity and sincerity is evident in your reporting and I want to thank you for this. You covered my country so well and I love how you tied everything together to build a holistic picture of the situation. Great work as usual!
He should have use footage exclusively from South Africa and not add random clips from “Blood Diamond”. That’s not at all SA. You’re talking about taxi wars and showing us videos of a completely different African country that was going through a genocide. Very unfair depiction of my country, places like the U.S and pretty much the rest of the world think we live in a jungle. Love the actual facts that you’re trying to share/educate your viewers on.
@@joshuabryant2281 the fact is that jake Tran doesn’t know anything. He gets a script from his management and he just reads. Everybody is falling in this trap. But his videos are still quite enjoyable
As a fellow South African who loves your content, I'm really happy you touched on this topic. We have so many nuances with regards to our country, politics and how this unfolds in our society. Refreshing to see a viewpoint that is not automatically brushed with an "Americanized" narrative.
@@SteamedBunX I'm not sure how exactly that would change the narrative. More likely I think an "Americanised" narrative would focus far too much on Apartheid and not consider the complex tribal politics within the black South African population.
As an SA resident, this is nothing but facts💀. The taxi industry is nearly untouchable here. Uber drivers won't even dare drop/pick you up in areas were there's taxi drivers. As for the violence and reckless driving, it's a daily occurrence. On the upside though, you'll never be late to your destination taking a taxi 'cause road rules don't apply to them 😹
As a South African I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of this video, and I would like to thank you for bringing some light to this important matter! Growing up with these taxi's around you get used to them owning the roads, you know you shouldn't try anything with them so after many years of nobody doing anything it has completely got out of hand. Especially now with Uber's really becoming another option for transportation for many people. At this point I'm not really sure what can be done. Sometimes weeks go by where many people can't get to work because drivers are too scared to drive certain routes. Honest people just trying to make a living being attacked and killed in broad daylight, and then being denied even a slither of justice because you know the police isn't going to do anything. After being attacked by a taxi driver once, I decided to make life much easier for myself by treating them as being ''above the law'' and now I don't get nearly as upset and just politely get out of their way so that they can reach their target for the day. There was recently a story of a motorist who got so upset with a taxi driver that he pulled out his weapon and shot him in the middle of traffic. Many in the comment section of the news report cheered the man on and said they would do the same. Things are, uhm.. getting hot in here. :(
is uber seen as a safer option? if they wanted to they could simply download the app, arrange a ride and shoot the driver to spread terror among drivers who use the uber app. I hope they won't do it but if I see how hard the Taxi branche where i'm from was fighting uber (legally) then I wouldn't be surprised what SA's ''taxi branche'' would do if it cuts into their profits too much.
@@-ANDY. Minibus taxis don't have the same clientele as Uber drivers. Most of the violence against Uber drivers have been from traditional metered taxi drivers, but the most severe cases only happened for the first couple of years when Uber was introduced into South Africa. It still happens here and there but the majority of the conflicts have been resolved by now. Minibus taxis transport the working class while Uber drivers transport the middle class and up. They don't compete with each other because they don't have the same clients. Someone who can afford Uber is not going to take a minibus taxi and someone who takes a minibus taxi generally can't afford an Uber.
I only watched this to laugh at inaccuracies, but I am eating humble pie right now. Very well researched and very compelling reporting. The taxi wars here can be very scary
I remember in my area which is Mthatha, Eastern Cape SA, when I was in my final year of high school we almost did not write our final exams because the taxi drivers were fighting. You literally had to pray you make it home alive because shootings would happen whilst us as passangers are inside. Thanks for this episode
@@martinRandomName It's a drug for people with ADD and classified as an amphetamine so it keeps you awake. But none of that matters because the Adderall part of Jesse Wilson's comment was written as a joke. I've noticed lately that the sense of humour of far to many people who frequent YouSuck seems to have a ceiling that tops out at knock knock jokes
@@martinRandomName Basically makes you more focused and you can concentrate and work longer on projects. It also supresses hunger and thirst and lets you stay awake. Its commonly used for things like studying for extended periods of time
@@martinRandomName You're quite welcome Martin. It would be nice if there was a great story behind the comment but if there is one I am not aware of it. P.S. The people lacking a sense of humour part of my comment wasn't directed at you it was a general statement, which I probably should have made clear.
@@aberamagold7509 I think Martins first language is not english, which is true for the vast majority of people on this site (including myself). So unless you can understand jokes in at least 1 or 2 foreign languages, shut the fuck up.
As an American who lived in Johannesburg for 6 years, I am so glad you've covered this. Many people in the West don't understand the way things work outside of their bubble. You did such a thorough job that I'll overlook the way you butchered some of these words XD
@fantomas the Zulus are the powerful and fearful when they unite ..they are the ones who owns the most taxis....and another thing is that this people use tradition herbs to protect themselves...or else you will die early
Hey Jake. I just want to give you credit for the thorough work you did when researching for this video. I applaud you for the accuracy of these tragic events and its origins. As a South African, one becomes desensitized by all this violence, so thank you for reopening my eyes to the dangers that I should be aware of. I have to admit, there was some facts I was unaware of. Thanks for enlightening me.
Jake Tran I'm from South Africa!!! I never thought you'd ever have a need to make any kind of documentary based on my country. Massive fan! Love your work even have post notification on! Thanks for this
As a South African, I only watched this video just to see how accurate Jake is gonna be. If I had found staggering inaccuracy I was gonna unsubscribe as it would mean that he has been feeding me lies in the previous videos. Boy Oh Boy! Did he not go an extra mile and dish out information I knew nothing about... Exceptional work Jake
This documentary is has edited clips from blood diamonds which was shot in Sierra Leone and doesnt look anything like South africa. Looting is also happening in some American cities, it's not new to South Africa.
I was on a taxi in Durban when the police started chasing us. It was like we were in a movie. The driver drove up on the sidewalk to dodge the roadblock set up to stop him. he ran over two fruit vendors and as he drove back onto the road, a police vehicle rammed the taxi in a pit manoeuvre. The driver tried to get out but a police officer clubbed him with his rifle and pulled him out through the driver window. He was immediately shackled and thrown into the back of another vehicle and driven off. Another officer gave us our fares back and hailed another taxi to take us further on our journey. Nobody was injured inside the taxi except the driver who was wanted on hit and run offences. I still use the taxi services to this day. I've learned to speak some passable Pedi which helps a lot.
As a South African I can vouch for this documentary. The Taxi Mafia is ruthless...they protest, the economy basically comes to a halt...I remember this one time they even blocked highways into our countries Financial capital...it was crazy!
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
@@Phyto. i beg to differ, i bet you havent even seen half of what happenes in SA, this video is basically just a few topics that arent good theres plenty more and it doesnt get any attention as it should but who cares its SA right?
As a South African, it always feels weird seeing people from other countries doing deep dives on our local issues. You did a pretty good job as always, though
@@2hotflavored666 i doubt he meant wierd as in "why are you doing it?" More like "damn, people outside of our country actually know we exist"😂 it's rare to see one of my favorite youtubers especially American ones make videos about us.
@@Sudopia8372 yes and no, yes If you basically turn your house into a fortress like most of us have. No if you're living a lifestyle where you can't afford the luxury of security or live in an area where crime is just so common place that if you beef up your security it doesn't really matter because they still find a way to break in. I've had fortune and misfortune of living in both situations.
I like how you didn't say anything about Zulus and KZN. Thank you. This is honest and is really just about taxis. Very professional. Thank you so much for this.
I’m South African, in the recent unrest in my home city, the local taxi association defended the malls and even forced a local ex-member of the city council to defend with them after he was encouraging people to loot on Twitter.
It wasn't because the are noble. It was just a brownie point stunt... 1% Good is still 99% evil... Don't get Stockholmed by facades. They only acted because they were loosing revenue, not because it was the right thing to do...
@@shadowsneaker6546 If you think the world is just good and evil perhaps you lack the full range of the human spectrum. Taxis are the lifeblood of the economy, they transport the majority of the labour force daily. They might have spats that lead to violence. But it is no where near the carnage of an all out war. They aren't good driving companions for some. But they still aren't evil. They are as all humans.
I just spent a semester abroad studying in Durban, South Africa. Our program told us not to take taxi minibusses and to only take ubers, and one of the instructors told me about the organized crime in the taxi industry. South Africa is a beautiful place with a difficult history and some deeply rooted issues and a very complex political situation. The transition to democracy has been incredibly difficult, and I can only hope that the people of South Africa will prosper in the future
If you're a private car driver, depending on where you are, and you try to give a lift to someone who's waiting for a taxi (even if it's someone you know), taxi drivers will have a scuffle with you. It happened to me when I fetched my aunt near a gas station, they thought I was picking up a hitchhiker. We had to do a lot of explaining that day. This was years ago before Uber existed, they seem to be a lot more lenient now because that sort of thing hasn't happened to me or anyone I know in recent times
Its illegal to give strangers a lift if you don't hold a permit. Its one of the major reasons police won't intervene when you get confronted by a taxi association. Them being lenient now does not mean you are not breaking the law. Actually if you look at the reasons for taxi wars, 90% of the time its always over people like you operating illegally on routes given to them by government.
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior Literally, the whole comment was about me picking up my aunt - why are you taking the tiniest part of my comment and focusing on that?
This is the kind of stuff that makes me grateful that I’m a South African in good financial standing. I’m fortunate enough to have my own transportation, instead of having to rely on the war zone we call the public transportation industry.
Owning taxis is one of South Africa's most lucrative businesses but many aren't interested in running taxi's because 1. it's kinda dangerous, 2. no really, it's really dangerous and 3. it seems as though you need to be from certain ethnic groups to succeed. Shout out to Jake! I've been a fan before you started making videos that could make you come up missing.
As a South African bro , it hurts me to see that this violence are actually politically motivated, and that there are people pulling strings in the shadows.. by the way thank you Jake I really learnt alot
It was abundantly clear when the taxi industry started defending malls during the KZN Riots ukuthi the taxi industry isn’t as scarey and as independent as we initially thought. The taxi industry dances to somebody’s fiddle 😂 and we were given clues by a certain Stellenbosch resident
I love how all of us South Africans came out in the comments just to comment how accurate this information was and how we actually learnt a lot of things from watching this. I also appreciate the fact that you found a way of combating one of the biggest challenges I am sure you faced while making this video which is trying to source enough footage for the video, by intercutting it with scenes from blood diamond and other films. This is a really good video. So I would like to say well done to you and your team.
Jake, you really bring light to so many issues that a lot of us just don't know about. I have been able to look into so many new things I never knew about and try to sort through what's real and what's not, starting with the information you provide!! Keep it up!!!
All south Africans know how crazy it is. Let me tell you some stereotypes and observations we have They drive like maniacs because the drivers only make as much as they pick up. So if they don't get there first they won't eat. The taxi drivers are the best gum and string mechanics in the world. Their unions don't pay for repairs and they can't afford them. So if something goes wrong they have to "fix" it as quickly and cheaply as possible. So their vehicles are more often than not unroadworthy. They are also known to insult, abuse and berate their passengers because they know that their commuters can't do anything about it. So take those three facts in totality. Drivers who don't care about their passengers, coupled with dangerously broken down vehicles that don't follow the rules of the road and speed constantly. Yeah not a good combination for the safety of their passengers... And the stereotype in Gauteng is that all taxi drivers are Zulu
@@iforget6940 yeah that's mainly just a stereotype. Most taxi drivers are actually just regular people trying to get by. Not violent delinquents.They only drive recklessly because that's a necessity for their job. However the fact that the taxi drivers don't have any competition for transport and therefore don't make any effort to provide a good experience to their customers is true. Not many people use Rea Viya lmao
@@iforget6940 I've been in a taxi in the mornings where I had to do it. My experience is the same as yours. It's just people doing their jobs. Some drive worse than others that's for sure
The weirdest part about mafias is its usually hard to tell if they're good or bad, and are almost always created by nature in a power vacuum, so people could survive.
As a South African - Great video bro. Taxi drivers here are badass lmao. Funny story, back in 2019 one morning on my commute to work, I was involved in a cop chase, inside of the taxi I was riding in hahaha. When the cops finally stopped the taxi and began trying to pull the driver out he just up and ran away, and I walked the rest of the way to work. Fun morning.
Why do i feel so paranoid obtaining all this information... iv always know that the taxi industry goes deeper then the shallows we see on a daily, never thought it was hectic to this degree. Scary content, definitely triggered my curiosity to the South African system this maybe the beginning of a great awakening. Thanks Jake.
One of the realities about this documentary is the fact that the wars that take place in the Western Cape are a tip of the iceberg compared to the almost daily taxi-related killings in KwaZulu Natal, especially in the non-suburban areas. They don't just go after the drivers and the bosses as individuals, they wipe out entire bloodlines at times, and the hitmen don't fear doing it in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses because the witnesses know very well that if they talk, they and their respective families will be next.
As a South African, I've seen many case studies done and being so wrong and irrelevant, it made me angry that people outside my home country were deceived about the state in South Africa, but Jake Tran was spot on, his work is so amazing, and educational even for myself, witnessing some of these turf wars. Good job
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
Thank you for this . No journalist or politician here can openly investigate the taxi violence because it leads not only your death , but the ones you love as well so they cannot retaliate or seek justice
Being a South African... You covered this story well. Love to see more SA stuff covered on the channel. I was honestly shocked when I saw SA in the title 😂 I watch you for years now and nice to see stuff I see right here covered 👍
As a fan from South africa, im truly impressed by the accuracy of this short documentary, its the reality that most working south africans have to live with everyday.....one thing that I find funny is that commuters are constantly surrounded by thus violence however we have no choice....also when taxis strike the entire country is literally shut down.....they don't allow people to use any other form of transport
Jake Tran constantly outputting amazing content As this is painfully accurate as a person living in Cape Town Jake should honestly should be the gold standard for top tier YT documentaries
I live in Asia but i watched this documentary with great interest. Everyone knows about the Yakuza, Italian gangs etc but this is literally the first time I heard of the taxi mafia in South Africa and as I live so far away I would never have had the chance to learn about this had I not watched this channel. Thank you Jake! And do get some rest, those eyebags starting to look a little heavy
@@ma2i485 they're dying out due to the laws Japan has there somthing like 20k to 30k only left non of the new younger generation want to join because due to the laws it would be hard for them to own property and they are entirely dependent on the bosses
I used to live in a small coastal town in South Africa. When I was a teenager we used to hitch hike through to the city on weekends to go skateboarding. Often we would get a free ride from taxi drivers making their way back to the city after dropping off passengers in the country side. Many of the taxi drivers would scold us for being so young and hitch hiking in such a dangerous country. They would pick us up to keep us safe. This video isn't inaccurate in anyway, SA's taxi business has always been a hot mess, but it's worth pointing out that there are a lot of hard working good people in the SA's taxi industry.
Yea man in any industry there's always good people just trying to do their job but the taxi industry in SA is so disruptive that calling it a mess would be a huge understatement
The thing is, the bad drivers have the country in a chokehold, that's why it's difficult to acknowledge. From the driving, to the violence, even the fact that they made the entire president backtrack on covid restrictions on their max capacity same week?
After nearly being shot myself when a taxi war broke out I realised very quickly that I could no longer live in SA. As there is nothing you can do to stop the violence and often the police members are taxie owners so you can't dear to take them on. It's really a hopeless situation. The take away point is, if you are living in a country that is not so corrupt and you not constantly fearing for your life, enjoy that privilege and be thankful. Sometimes it's forgotten that our safety and security is not always a given so take a moment to appreciate the people that provide that for you.
as A South African, I am offended. totally offended by how accurate this is but jokes aside, it's a very good analysis of it, it's sad to see. when prople try to bring order and regulation, they are met by death.
As a South African I am lost for words. Jake you do the most exceptional job in doing extensive research. Wow 🔥🔥🔥I never expected you to cover this,great stuff 🙌🏽 Keep it up!!....if you ever cover south Africa again please do the Stellenbosch Mafia 🙏
I’m sure as my fellow South Africans have and will say you have truly captured the happenings within our country and for that I can only applaud you journalism sir
Don't forget about how Rea Vaya buses were also targeted on the first circulation of the system. Ducking bullets while trying to keep calm before an exam will really change you 😂
🇿🇦Jake, you are refreshingly accurate. Great Doc. Taxi industry is so powerful, government closed trains stations airports but let the taxis continue during lockdown. 🇿🇦
Jake as a South African I can tell you this was very well portrayed and researched! I even learnt a thing or two about the hit squads! Keep up the amazing content!
As a South African I never even knew we had a mafia but now realizing it as people driving in taxis don't sound far-fetched, taxi drivers in South Africa are wild bro
I remember a taxi driver wanted to fight us for getting out of his taxi to get into a different one that headed directly to our house. He wasn’t happy 😂
In one of our cities (Bloemfontein) a taxi rank worth R400m ($27m+) was built close to a decade ago & stands abandoned till this day because taxi operators refuse to use it. The taxi industry is a movie unfolding before our eyes here. Thanks for the accurate coverage Jake! 🇿🇦
This is a very well done and researched video. Thank you for the good work. As someone who has grown up in Africa, Kenya specifically, I know how powerful Matatu(taxi) cartels can get. Alot of what has been highlighted in this video echos what used to happen in the Kenyan Matatu industry with cartels such as "Mungiki" growing extremely powerful until a radical, controversial and stern(secretly debated to have been senile) old politician took reigns of the transport ministry and wrestled control away from these cartels through very bloody and cold means. Maybe you can consider doing a story on this. Its one of the few scenarios where cartels actually lose and there is some form of happy ending.
One of the strangest sights of the recent lootings was armed Afrikaners alongside armed taxi drivers blocking roads to stop looters. Kinda gave me hope that there can a better South Africa one day.
Watching all the clips and documentaries on the riots, my biggest take away, the current government is highly inefficient and inept. Governments are there to maintain order and peace, they were mostly not present.
As a subscriber who grew up in SA in the 80s + 90s, just wanted to say absolutely phenomenal work with this docu. You managed to explain it in a concise and objective way, making it understandable from the point of view of each party involved - bosses, drivers, hitmen, passengers, police, government, etc.
Thanks for a very informative video on my Country. Straight to the point and honest. What upset me is the media reporting on the looting in South Africa as if the whole of the Country was in war and then they say nothing about the good parts that came out from the rioting in two Provinces.
But he is lying though. He says IFP and ANC were the main parties fighting apartheid. The main parties fighting apartheid was PAC and ANC hence they were jailed together at Robben Island. IFP was working with the apartheid government.
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
@@FirstNameLastName-uu9qv Sorry I don't. It just feels familiar in a nostalgic kind of way. Like something I'd hear walking down the streets of a highly cultural neighborhood. That kind of thing.
Amazing video man! You took no side and just explain what happened! I am a South African! Its hard to find accurate South African content told by an outsider online and taking the trophy by making your video educational and entertaining at the same time. Really Really good stuff. Thank you for taking the time do do the research, I'm sure once you started you saw that in South Africa we are living in a movie
I'm a South African and I often use the taxis. Although taxi violence does occur occasionally and taxi drivers tend to drive recklessly and display aggression towards private car drivers, it is a BIG lie that the taxi associations are more powerful than the police and South African army. The state has a clear and undeniable monopoly on violence/force in South Africa. Taxi wars may occur between rival taxi associations but they always end when the police intervene. Also the department of transport here has a tight grip transport/taxi permits and all that entails.
Not to long ago we had looting and shop raiding happening all over the country , it almost got to my local mall but lets just say the taxi drivers of the area realized the threat to customers losing jobs and took action in some very questionable ways
seeing all these positive comments coming from South Africa makes Jake an even more awesome guy and one of the most respectable content creators. I hope and pray he doesn't go missing (soon)
In this country we have the judicial, executive, legislative and the taxis. Literally nothing happens without taxi involvement. The violence also stems from the Zulus. To understand most of the taxi industry, one needs to understand Zulu people - quite militant.
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Pog
Makes a video about South Africa but his sponsor doesn't deliver to us. Come on my guy
Could you do a video about all the bad stuff Mother Theresa has done?
aweeee 🤙🏾🤙🏾
From SA BRO THANKS FOR THIS ONE CAN YOU. DO A VID ON THE INEQUALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA
I've wanted to see this kind of analysis on the taxi industry for years as a South African. Thank you and I am a big fan of the channel
Sad how no one from Africa could make one on their own ……
@@liiillllliiilllliilllliii9461 there's actually tones of discussion on these issues. Just nobody talking about it with a big audience.
@@liiillllliiilllliilllliii9461 there's possibly hundreds of videos on this topic on YT, many from RSA 🙄
@@liiillllliiilllliilllliii9461 ah shit posting to all of these videos I see
@@ZOE_NtombiYaseMancwabeni , l
As an African I never thought Jake would drop such a detailed video of an area I know with so much detail and precision. Thank you so much Jake!
As an african i can also agree 😈
I really hope he makes more videos about us. Unfortunately we have alot of crime related content to offer XD.
Me too
The way he pronounced chosa though 😂🙌🏾
as a random canadian with a weird intrest in South African Railways and Hatred of road travel i can i want these mafia bosses DEAD!!!!
So, as a South African its quite refreshing hearing these stories from someone who isn't personally involved or affected by the subject matter. Alot of times when you watch south african youtubers talk about these things alot of personal opinion and conjecture gets involved. Fantastic work.
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling.
Jake just casually just drops high level documentaries like theyre nothing
Yep
True
Where does he come up with this topics
Every 2-3 days too. It's getting pretty wild, idk how he does it
@@boysonmzimahlangabeza492 research
As a South African, many of us feel like the country is a social experiment because many things are just weird. I was once caught in some taxi violence nonsense a few meters from my house, I had to crawl the rest of the way home so that I would not get hit.
One of many countries that is a social experiment. Guinea pigs for life.
South Africa is a very interesting country. Definetly, if you're outside looking in, it seems like some social experiment. I wish the South African people the best.
It is a social experiment looool
@Mr. Melendez pretty funny to me
Weird? Like paranormal activity weird? What do you mean?
My uncle, a taxi driver, was killed a few weeks ago in a taxi war. It seems unreal until it hits home. Thanks for the awesome video, Jake.
Didnt realise that Jake Tran has so Many South African Subscribers. As a South African myself I'm glad you did your research, and give our public transport a global platform
Took the words right out of my mouth.
It’s refreshing to see so many fellow South Africans
Bots
Love him!
@@fra5715 i thought Nelso Mandela died in the 80s
As a South African who's been a fan of your channel, this was a fantastic surprise! It's incredible to see this information from a different perspective
Right!? It also caught me by surprise as I expect countries such as Russia, USA and China to be featured in Jake's videos
Didnt Mandela die in the 80s?
@@syfodias-jedimaster nope, 2013. Fun fact though, Mandela "dying" in the 1980's has become such an entrenched rumour online that it's where we get the Mandela Effect from
Same here
Same here, it blew my mind
This is a great channel, and as a South African I have even more faith in your thoroughness and research skills. I have two critiques/suggestions:
Firstly the use of the Blood Diamond footage was quite tactless. It’s a very very different scenario. That’s depicting a war-zone in Central Africa.
Whereas the violence in the taxi industry plays out much less publicly and dramatically. Yes there are instances of skirmishes here and there, but as someone whose taken taxis for years and lived in SA since I was born, you more hear of things then see any war zones. There definitely aren’t groups running around in military gear with AK47’s.
As Africa being shown as a “jungle”, “war zone” etc is rooted in our colonial history and often racist stereotypes, I just being a bit more sensitive to that.
This video would have been on the mark if it just stuck to archival footage of the actual situation.
Secondly, you mentioned that the the ANC and IFP were the “two” organisations at the forefront of the Anti-Apartheid movement.
Unfortunately this view reflects the erased history, as those movements are still very strong and have made sure to only emphasise their role.
The UDF (United Democratic Front) was one of the cornerstones, and a national movement that encompassed a non-racialist principle that brought together all races and was a pre-cursor to the “rainbow nation” theme of the new SA.
Also the Pan-African Congress (PAC) was also bigger than the IFP and was initially the only other major anti-apartheid movement besides the ANC.
And then of course there’s Black Consciousness, which was led by Steve Biko, very difficult to quantify as is more an intellectual movement, and survives as such today.
Exactly, him using the Blood Diamond footage was very tasteless
True
i also felt the images were extremley tastless and steriotypical, very very lazy videoing editing
I agree, unreferenced footage from blood diamond is tactless.
You have to remember Jake has a whole team to make these videos so I doubt he was personally responsible for the footage used in it that would fall in the shoulders if the video editor I would think.
But yes very tasteless on behalf of whoever was responsible for the footage used.
As an uber driver, we live in fear of taxi owners. They dictate how we work. There are certain places that we can't pick up people at (malls, certain roads etc) and when we complain nothing is done, they even take your car and want a fine of R5000 for disobeying their orders. The police do nothing, the government does nothing we just listen to them and if you try to object then you'll probably get a beating or death even and guess what? Nothing is done to them! It's their way or the highway.
So the term highwayman is not completely history...
Minibus taxis don't have the same clientele as Uber drivers. Most of the violence against Uber drivers have been from traditional metered taxi drivers, but that only happened for the first couple of years when Uber was introduced into South Africa. It still happens here and there but the majority of the conflicts have been resolved by now. Minibus taxis transport the working class while Uber drivers transport the middle class and up. They don't compete with each other because they don't have the same clients. Someone who can afford Uber is not going to take a minibus taxi and someone who takes a minibus taxi generally can't afford an Uber.
@@SeriousPlastiek thank I was just about to say the same thing
Get a gun start busting at them idk how y'all's gun laws work but fuck living in fear
@@eulogyv2lastname501 A gun won't help shit. You're imagining that the Uber driver's going to pull out a gun, kill a couple people, then pick up his passenger and roll away like it's nothing. In reality, if you bring the gun and you're on your own, you're as good as dead. Carrying a gun in that situation is nothing but false reassurance.
And second, why should someone be willing to murder for an Uber trip? Fuck that.
So sick! This is very accurate, I live in Johannesburg and you captured the taxi mafia perfectly.
Bruh.. it’s only 2 minutes and you’ve watched the video?🙌🏽🙌🏽 nkosi yam
@@Shimeih well I was commenting about the first five minutes of the video 😂
Braaa he made a video on it!!!!!
Thats crazy
I live in braam but taking a taxi via the MTN rank makes me think otherwise🤣🤣🤣
Another resident from Durban, South Africa in the province of KZN. Just wanted to say mad respect to you Jake. Allt he facts and the way you summize them in this video essay are impeccable. Love the channel brother!
That awkward moment when Jake knows more about your country than you do lol. This was exceptional Jake. Your thoughtfulness integrity and sincerity is evident in your reporting and I want to thank you for this. You covered my country so well and I love how you tied everything together to build a holistic picture of the situation. Great work as usual!
Hé doesn’t know shit
@@Jaapst okay
This man schooled us for free on our own shandis cabanga 💀
He should have use footage exclusively from South Africa and not add random clips from “Blood Diamond”. That’s not at all SA. You’re talking about taxi wars and showing us videos of a completely different African country that was going through a genocide. Very unfair depiction of my country, places like the U.S and pretty much the rest of the world think we live in a jungle. Love the actual facts that you’re trying to share/educate your viewers on.
@@joshuabryant2281 the fact is that jake Tran doesn’t know anything. He gets a script from his management and he just reads. Everybody is falling in this trap. But his videos are still quite enjoyable
As a fellow South African who loves your content, I'm really happy you touched on this topic. We have so many nuances with regards to our country, politics and how this unfolds in our society. Refreshing to see a viewpoint that is not automatically brushed with an "Americanized" narrative.
What do you mean by Americanized?
@@EliWritesStories 'viewed through a entitled white person's lens who think resources grows on trees.'
@@SteamedBunX resources literally do grow on trees, fruit and lumber
@@infinitejinpachi but not all resource grow on trees. And most current production based trees produces way more than they naturally would.
@@SteamedBunX I'm not sure how exactly that would change the narrative. More likely I think an "Americanised" narrative would focus far too much on Apartheid and not consider the complex tribal politics within the black South African population.
wow.. who knew taxi drivers were such gangsters
As an SA resident, this is nothing but facts💀. The taxi industry is nearly untouchable here. Uber drivers won't even dare drop/pick you up in areas were there's taxi drivers. As for the violence and reckless driving, it's a daily occurrence. On the upside though, you'll never be late to your destination taking a taxi 'cause road rules don't apply to them 😹
Bo magesza 😂
I learn last riot in south Africa, they were killing only Indians
Fact!!!
Fact!!!
1000000%
As a South African I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of this video, and I would like to thank you for bringing some light to this important matter! Growing up with these taxi's around you get used to them owning the roads, you know you shouldn't try anything with them so after many years of nobody doing anything it has completely got out of hand. Especially now with Uber's really becoming another option for transportation for many people. At this point I'm not really sure what can be done. Sometimes weeks go by where many people can't get to work because drivers are too scared to drive certain routes. Honest people just trying to make a living being attacked and killed in broad daylight, and then being denied even a slither of justice because you know the police isn't going to do anything. After being attacked by a taxi driver once, I decided to make life much easier for myself by treating them as being ''above the law'' and now I don't get nearly as upset and just politely get out of their way so that they can reach their target for the day. There was recently a story of a motorist who got so upset with a taxi driver that he pulled out his weapon and shot him in the middle of traffic. Many in the comment section of the news report cheered the man on and said they would do the same. Things are, uhm.. getting hot in here. :(
is uber seen as a safer option?
if they wanted to they could simply download the app, arrange a ride and shoot the driver to spread terror among drivers who use the uber app. I hope they won't do it but if I see how hard the Taxi branche where i'm from was fighting uber (legally) then I wouldn't be surprised what SA's ''taxi branche'' would do if it cuts into their profits too much.
Is that your real photo?
@@-ANDY. Minibus taxis don't have the same clientele as Uber drivers. Most of the violence against Uber drivers have been from traditional metered taxi drivers, but the most severe cases only happened for the first couple of years when Uber was introduced into South Africa. It still happens here and there but the majority of the conflicts have been resolved by now. Minibus taxis transport the working class while Uber drivers transport the middle class and up. They don't compete with each other because they don't have the same clients. Someone who can afford Uber is not going to take a minibus taxi and someone who takes a minibus taxi generally can't afford an Uber.
@@SeriousPlastiek ah okay makes sense, thanks for the clear explanation!
@@mcseedat why would it not be
I only watched this to laugh at inaccuracies, but I am eating humble pie right now. Very well researched and very compelling reporting. The taxi wars here can be very scary
😄Same
I remember in my area which is Mthatha, Eastern Cape SA, when I was in my final year of high school we almost did not write our final exams because the taxi drivers were fighting. You literally had to pray you make it home alive because shootings would happen whilst us as passangers are inside.
Thanks for this episode
Umhle
sabawel
@@tshidi129 Nawe
Mholo mkhaya
jakes next video about to be: *_"the benifits of adderall."_* mans posting non-stop these past 2 weeks! GREAT WORK JAKE!
@@martinRandomName
It's a drug for people with ADD and classified as an amphetamine so it keeps you awake.
But none of that matters because the Adderall part of Jesse Wilson's comment was written as a joke.
I've noticed lately that the sense of humour of far to many people who frequent YouSuck seems to have a ceiling that tops out at knock knock jokes
And its been banger after banger GREAT JOB!
@@martinRandomName Basically makes you more focused and you can concentrate and work longer on projects. It also supresses hunger and thirst and lets you stay awake. Its commonly used for things like studying for extended periods of time
@@martinRandomName
You're quite welcome Martin.
It would be nice if there was a great story behind the comment but if there is one I am not aware of it.
P.S. The people lacking a sense of humour part of my comment wasn't directed at you it was a general statement, which I probably should have made clear.
@@aberamagold7509 I think Martins first language is not english, which is true for the vast majority of people on this site (including myself). So unless you can understand jokes in at least 1 or 2 foreign languages, shut the fuck up.
As a South African, i find it so funny to see how many of us start our comments with “as a South African”😂
This is coming out of nowhere, never expected this.
Me either
You living under a rock if you are not form SA haha
@@WarrenSheehan what? Lmao
As an American who lived in Johannesburg for 6 years, I am so glad you've covered this. Many people in the West don't understand the way things work outside of their bubble. You did such a thorough job that I'll overlook the way you butchered some of these words XD
@fantomas words can’t even describe it my dawg.
@@Fac31ess for real
@fantomas ama taxi boss baba. Don’t fuck with them and ur cool
Yeah we all live in this silly little bubble where we think highly of African nations… we don’t call them shitholes or anything
@fantomas the Zulus are the powerful and fearful when they unite ..they are the ones who owns the most taxis....and another thing is that this people use tradition herbs to protect themselves...or else you will die early
Hey Jake. I just want to give you credit for the thorough work you did when researching for this video. I applaud you for the accuracy of these tragic events and its origins. As a South African, one becomes desensitized by all this violence, so thank you for reopening my eyes to the dangers that I should be aware of. I have to admit, there was some facts I was unaware of. Thanks for enlightening me.
Jake Tran I'm from South Africa!!! I never thought you'd ever have a need to make any kind of documentary based on my country. Massive fan! Love your work even have post notification on! Thanks for this
Im shook to see how many South Africans watch Jake Tran broh
@@ericlangalmkhungo6462 YES
As a South African, I only watched this video just to see how accurate Jake is gonna be. If I had found staggering inaccuracy I was gonna unsubscribe as it would mean that he has been feeding me lies in the previous videos. Boy Oh Boy! Did he not go an extra mile and dish out information I knew nothing about... Exceptional work Jake
Exactly, alot inaccuracies.
@@hopebuhali3887 The video was accurate.
but he never mentioned ATA ARMSTA FARADAY PRS LETHABONG the most feared taxi associations in southafrica
This documentary is has edited clips from blood diamonds which was shot in Sierra Leone and doesnt look anything like South africa. Looting is also happening in some American cities, it's not new to South Africa.
He lied on the driver salary part though its more then that
I was on a taxi in Durban when the police started chasing us. It was like we were in a movie. The driver drove up on the sidewalk to dodge the roadblock set up to stop him. he ran over two fruit vendors and as he drove back onto the road, a police vehicle rammed the taxi in a pit manoeuvre. The driver tried to get out but a police officer clubbed him with his rifle and pulled him out through the driver window. He was immediately shackled and thrown into the back of another vehicle and driven off. Another officer gave us our fares back and hailed another taxi to take us further on our journey. Nobody was injured inside the taxi except the driver who was wanted on hit and run offences. I still use the taxi services to this day. I've learned to speak some passable Pedi which helps a lot.
As a South African I can vouch for this documentary. The Taxi Mafia is ruthless...they protest, the economy basically comes to a halt...I remember this one time they even blocked highways into our countries Financial capital...it was crazy!
For safety for the South African white and black should divide their country
@@Sudopia8372 Africa is for Africans. If you want a white country then go to Europe
@@chisomnzeh3268 Africa is for Humans, regardless of ethnicity.
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
@@Phyto. i beg to differ, i bet you havent even seen half of what happenes in SA, this video is basically just a few topics that arent good theres plenty more and it doesnt get any attention as it should but who cares its SA right?
As a South African, it always feels weird seeing people from other countries doing deep dives on our local issues. You did a pretty good job as always, though
Do u feel safe in ur country ?
Get used to it, Americans put up with foreigners diving into American problems every single day.
@@2hotflavored666 i doubt he meant wierd as in "why are you doing it?" More like "damn, people outside of our country actually know we exist"😂 it's rare to see one of my favorite youtubers especially American ones make videos about us.
@@Sudopia8372 yes and no, yes If you basically turn your house into a fortress like most of us have. No if you're living a lifestyle where you can't afford the luxury of security or live in an area where crime is just so common place that if you beef up your security it doesn't really matter because they still find a way to break in. I've had fortune and misfortune of living in both situations.
@@zamanimvukela4573 bro I'm from Botswana and comparing life this side and that side makes my country seem like paradise 😂😂 much love tho ❤️
I like how you didn't say anything about Zulus and KZN. Thank you. This is honest and is really just about taxis. Very professional. Thank you so much for this.
I’m South African, in the recent unrest in my home city, the local taxi association defended the malls and even forced a local ex-member of the city council to defend with them after he was encouraging people to loot on Twitter.
The taxi association did more than the actual police. 😂🙏🏻 Even gunning people down mid riots/lootings.
@@gr1mxom3h4 all the world mafias have started from protection of something. Even Italian mafia used to protect orange orchards from thiefs.
Qgebehra?
It wasn't because the are noble. It was just a brownie point stunt... 1% Good is still 99% evil... Don't get Stockholmed by facades. They only acted because they were loosing revenue, not because it was the right thing to do...
@@shadowsneaker6546 If you think the world is just good and evil perhaps you lack the full range of the human spectrum. Taxis are the lifeblood of the economy, they transport the majority of the labour force daily. They might have spats that lead to violence. But it is no where near the carnage of an all out war. They aren't good driving companions for some. But they still aren't evil. They are as all humans.
What sucks the most is not being able to get an Uber at some malls
Probably the extreme poverty
@@woahblackbettybamalam The taxis also operate at the malls
@@goldust3212 I mean the poverty is what sucks the most. Not ubers lol
@@woahblackbettybamalam lol nah bruh
You can can still catch smoke on the well of sides
Taxi violence is rated E for everyone
@@woahblackbettybamalam no Uber drivers are scared of taxi drivers so Uber drivers avoid certain routes or malls!!
I just spent a semester abroad studying in Durban, South Africa. Our program told us not to take taxi minibusses and to only take ubers, and one of the instructors told me about the organized crime in the taxi industry. South Africa is a beautiful place with a difficult history and some deeply rooted issues and a very complex political situation. The transition to democracy has been incredibly difficult, and I can only hope that the people of South Africa will prosper in the future
If you're a private car driver, depending on where you are, and you try to give a lift to someone who's waiting for a taxi (even if it's someone you know), taxi drivers will have a scuffle with you. It happened to me when I fetched my aunt near a gas station, they thought I was picking up a hitchhiker. We had to do a lot of explaining that day. This was years ago before Uber existed, they seem to be a lot more lenient now because that sort of thing hasn't happened to me or anyone I know in recent times
Maybe in your area, but in mine it's in full swing.
@@siyaklaas where are you from?
Its illegal to give strangers a lift if you don't hold a permit. Its one of the major reasons police won't intervene when you get confronted by a taxi association. Them being lenient now does not mean you are not breaking the law.
Actually if you look at the reasons for taxi wars, 90% of the time its always over people like you operating illegally on routes given to them by government.
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior Literally, the whole comment was about me picking up my aunt - why are you taking the tiniest part of my comment and focusing on that?
@@leagolekganyane because he's an u know the rest
I'm one of the few Africans in Africa who appreciate Jake Trans content, more wins to you man for covering my continent.
Same here! South African here
I'm from Malawi, there isn't a single person in my friend group who doesn't love Jake's channel
There's a lot of africans who love Jake Tran's content
@@fredrickdenga7552 as African we need to be hid biggest audience, his knowledge can help us soon..
@@joshuakamanga1927 and that's good.
This is the kind of stuff that makes me grateful that I’m a South African in good financial standing. I’m fortunate enough to have my own transportation, instead of having to rely on the war zone we call the public transportation industry.
Now they’re coming for you
Owning taxis is one of South Africa's most lucrative businesses but many aren't interested in running taxi's because 1. it's kinda dangerous, 2. no really, it's really dangerous and 3. it seems as though you need to be from certain ethnic groups to succeed.
Shout out to Jake! I've been a fan before you started making videos that could make you come up missing.
That sounds like something John Oliver would have said. lol
😂 this comment. It’s the third point that got me.
#ZuluGirl
Pretty much
@@sthokozilemamba1508 vele kuyaziwa vele kuthi amatekisi awamaZulu 😂 mawungeyena idlozi lakho at least alibe strong
@@siphiwomhlongo3688 only in JHB and KZN tho. Not in the Western Cape and Eastern CAPE.
As a South African bro , it hurts me to see that this violence are actually politically motivated, and that there are people pulling strings in the shadows..
by the way thank you Jake I really learnt alot
It was abundantly clear when the taxi industry started defending malls during the KZN Riots ukuthi the taxi industry isn’t as scarey and as independent as we initially thought. The taxi industry dances to somebody’s fiddle 😂 and we were given clues by a certain Stellenbosch resident
I feel like 99% of the political ongoings in our country has ulterior motives.
I love how all of us South Africans came out in the comments just to comment how accurate this information was and how we actually learnt a lot of things from watching this. I also appreciate the fact that you found a way of combating one of the biggest challenges I am sure you faced while making this video which is trying to source enough footage for the video, by intercutting it with scenes from blood diamond and other films.
This is a really good video. So I would like to say well done to you and your team.
This man gonna be wanted in every country soon 😂
😂😂😂😂😂
That's the plan!
🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
@@nhlanhlaradebe8 you have no plans to to work tomorrow at the the bjihib
@@nhlanhlaradebe8 you have no plans to to work tomorrow at the the bjihib
I love how this video brought us Africans out here 😂 I'm loving all the "as an African who loves Jake Tran." comments
That true 🤣
Jake, you really bring light to so many issues that a lot of us just don't know about. I have been able to look into so many new things I never knew about and try to sort through what's real and what's not, starting with the information you provide!! Keep it up!!!
As a South African, all I can say is that you outdid yourself Jake. Production and Delivery on point.
All south Africans know how crazy it is.
Let me tell you some stereotypes and observations we have
They drive like maniacs because the drivers only make as much as they pick up. So if they don't get there first they won't eat.
The taxi drivers are the best gum and string mechanics in the world. Their unions don't pay for repairs and they can't afford them. So if something goes wrong they have to "fix" it as quickly and cheaply as possible. So their vehicles are more often than not unroadworthy.
They are also known to insult, abuse and berate their passengers because they know that their commuters can't do anything about it.
So take those three facts in totality. Drivers who don't care about their passengers, coupled with dangerously broken down vehicles that don't follow the rules of the road and speed constantly. Yeah not a good combination for the safety of their passengers...
And the stereotype in Gauteng is that all taxi drivers are Zulu
Not realy my experience, I have never seen a disrespectful taxi driver, or at least they where never disrespectful to me when I was there.
@@iforget6940 yeah that's mainly just a stereotype. Most taxi drivers are actually just regular people trying to get by. Not violent delinquents.They only drive recklessly because that's a necessity for their job. However the fact that the taxi drivers don't have any competition for transport and therefore don't make any effort to provide a good experience to their customers is true. Not many people use Rea Viya lmao
@@ZemanTheMighty yes i have seen the videos.
@@ZemanTheMighty have you ever experienced it though.
@@iforget6940 I've been in a taxi in the mornings where I had to do it. My experience is the same as yours. It's just people doing their jobs. Some drive worse than others that's for sure
The weirdest part about mafias is its usually hard to tell if they're good or bad, and are almost always created by nature in a power vacuum, so people could survive.
I live Johannesburg and this is 100% true. Everyone knows the Taxi industry is some wild shit
People don’t like South Africa
@@Sudopia8372 we don't care 😉
As a South African - Great video bro. Taxi drivers here are badass lmao. Funny story, back in 2019 one morning on my commute to work, I was involved in a cop chase, inside of the taxi I was riding in hahaha. When the cops finally stopped the taxi and began trying to pull the driver out he just up and ran away, and I walked the rest of the way to work. Fun morning.
hahah 😂 best one so far
🤣😂🤣😂 you based in Joburg right?
@TheGlassesPro 😂😂😂 you haven't even heard half of it. You'd be shook
😂😂😂🤣🤣
Finally someone has touched on the subject, much appreciated for bringing awareness!
Being from South Africa, this was kinda unexpected 😂
But I guess no one is safe from Jake Tran
I was surprised too😂
Lol
Ehmonna🤣 Jake wa bora jong
I know 🤣🤣
Bruuuu
Should've dropped this earlier, we had elections yesterday lmao
Yep
Oof
“Selections” not elections
Who tf is voting for the ANC!?
I thought we all agreed to outst them like how America did to Trump
@@woahblackbettybamalam sorry, grammar mistake
Why do i feel so paranoid obtaining all this information... iv always know that the taxi industry goes deeper then the shallows we see on a daily, never thought it was hectic to this degree.
Scary content, definitely triggered my curiosity to the South African system this maybe the beginning of a great awakening.
Thanks Jake.
Damn SA has made it to a Jake Tran video
One of the realities about this documentary is the fact that the wars that take place in the Western Cape are a tip of the iceberg compared to the almost daily taxi-related killings in KwaZulu Natal, especially in the non-suburban areas. They don't just go after the drivers and the bosses as individuals, they wipe out entire bloodlines at times, and the hitmen don't fear doing it in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses because the witnesses know very well that if they talk, they and their respective families will be next.
No way that is even true!
@@mikatu I wish it were not true, but unfortunately, it's reality.
@@mikatu unfortunately it is. It happens in KZN most of the time. They burn all your taxis then kill everyone in your bloodline.
As a South African, I've seen many case studies done and being so wrong and irrelevant, it made me angry that people outside my home country were deceived about the state in South Africa, but Jake Tran was spot on, his work is so amazing, and educational even for myself, witnessing some of these turf wars. Good job
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
But everyone that looked the documentary "Who killed Captain Alex?" knows, that the Tiger Mafia in Uganda is the real OG.
*Indeed*
LMAO XD
Link
Omg I'm soo excited to see Jake cover this, as a South African I've been waiting for international reporting on the taxi mafia
Man you need to share your research skills because wow. I never would have imagined anyone would report this! Superb!
Seeing South Africa being covered on this channel feels like a fever dream. Especially our taxi industry.
I'm a South African and I can clearly say, this is the best documenting I've ever seen on the SA taxi industry. Thank you, so spot on and insightful.
Thank you for this . No journalist or politician here can openly investigate the taxi violence because it leads not only your death , but the ones you love as well so they cannot retaliate or seek justice
Being a South African... You covered this story well. Love to see more SA stuff covered on the channel. I was honestly shocked when I saw SA in the title 😂 I watch you for years now and nice to see stuff I see right here covered 👍
Jake, i am a South African and i must say you nailed the facts in this documentary. Well done. Your research skills are phenomenal.
I'm a South African. Your research is quite accurate.
As a fan from South africa, im truly impressed by the accuracy of this short documentary, its the reality that most working south africans have to live with everyday.....one thing that I find funny is that commuters are constantly surrounded by thus violence however we have no choice....also when taxis strike the entire country is literally shut down.....they don't allow people to use any other form of transport
Sheesh...
Jake Tran constantly outputting amazing content
As this is painfully accurate as a person living in Cape Town
Jake should honestly should be the gold standard for top tier YT documentaries
Agreed
ANC leaders owns taxis too. That's why they won't tackle taxi mafia
I live in Asia but i watched this documentary with great interest. Everyone knows about the Yakuza, Italian gangs etc but this is literally the first time I heard of the taxi mafia in South Africa and as I live so far away I would never have had the chance to learn about this had I not watched this channel. Thank you Jake! And do get some rest, those eyebags starting to look a little heavy
Is the Yakuza still around?
@@ma2i485 they're dying out due to the laws Japan has there somthing like 20k to 30k only left non of the new younger generation want to join because due to the laws it would be hard for them to own property and they are entirely dependent on the bosses
As a person that lives in South Africa I can confidently say our country is crazy 🤌🏾
It izzz what it izzz😂🤷♂️
@@poelanoselema *IT IS WHAT IT IIIIZ* 😂😂😂
Remember when polony tried to kill us? Good times.
Now I see why people say his content is fake, no way bro just called Xhosa "Zoesa"🤦🏽♂️
I want to say two things; I am South African, and I appreciated how accurately you communicated our Story.
I used to live in a small coastal town in South Africa. When I was a teenager we used to hitch hike through to the city on weekends to go skateboarding. Often we would get a free ride from taxi drivers making their way back to the city after dropping off passengers in the country side. Many of the taxi drivers would scold us for being so young and hitch hiking in such a dangerous country. They would pick us up to keep us safe. This video isn't inaccurate in anyway, SA's taxi business has always been a hot mess, but it's worth pointing out that there are a lot of hard working good people in the SA's taxi industry.
Yea man in any industry there's always good people just trying to do their job but the taxi industry in SA is so disruptive that calling it a mess would be a huge understatement
thanks for the positive comment keep skating😁👍🏾
The thing is, the bad drivers have the country in a chokehold, that's why it's difficult to acknowledge. From the driving, to the violence, even the fact that they made the entire president backtrack on covid restrictions on their max capacity same week?
@@ElleDiablo Taxi drivers put pressure on other drivers. But we must be grateful it's not like in India or Nigeria.
This is certainly the minority / exception to the rule. Keep rolling !
After nearly being shot myself when a taxi war broke out I realised very quickly that I could no longer live in SA. As there is nothing you can do to stop the violence and often the police members are taxie owners so you can't dear to take them on. It's really a hopeless situation. The take away point is, if you are living in a country that is not so corrupt and you not constantly fearing for your life, enjoy that privilege and be thankful. Sometimes it's forgotten that our safety and security is not always a given so take a moment to appreciate the people that provide that for you.
Bro I’m from South Africa, and you just pointed out a lot of information I didn’t even know about the industry 🔥
as A South African, I am offended.
totally offended by how accurate this is
but jokes aside, it's a very good analysis of it, it's sad to see. when prople try to bring order and regulation, they are met by death.
Africans just dont like order, just look at our neighbouring countries with on going wars.
@@ma2i485 I have to disagree, I'm sure there's order in some areas, maybe in ones where the social fabric and demographic is fairly homogeneous
Why are your videos so good?!
As a South African I am lost for words. Jake you do the most exceptional job in doing extensive research. Wow 🔥🔥🔥I never expected you to cover this,great stuff 🙌🏽 Keep it up!!....if you ever cover south Africa again please do the Stellenbosch Mafia 🙏
I’m sure as my fellow South Africans have and will say you have truly captured the happenings within our country and for that I can only applaud you journalism sir
Don't forget about how Rea Vaya buses were also targeted on the first circulation of the system. Ducking bullets while trying to keep calm before an exam will really change you 😂
🇿🇦Jake, you are refreshingly accurate.
Great Doc. Taxi industry is so powerful, government closed trains stations airports but let the taxis continue during lockdown. 🇿🇦
Jake as a South African I can tell you this was very well portrayed and researched! I even learnt a thing or two about the hit squads! Keep up the amazing content!
As a South African I never even knew we had a mafia but now realizing it as people driving in taxis don't sound far-fetched, taxi drivers in South Africa are wild bro
I remember a taxi driver wanted to fight us for getting out of his taxi to get into a different one that headed directly to our house. He wasn’t happy 😂
In one of our cities (Bloemfontein) a taxi rank worth R400m ($27m+) was built close to a decade ago & stands abandoned till this day because taxi operators refuse to use it. The taxi industry is a movie unfolding before our eyes here. Thanks for the accurate coverage Jake! 🇿🇦
This is a very well done and researched video. Thank you for the good work. As someone who has grown up in Africa, Kenya specifically, I know how powerful Matatu(taxi) cartels can get. Alot of what has been highlighted in this video echos what used to happen in the Kenyan Matatu industry with cartels such as "Mungiki" growing extremely powerful until a radical, controversial and stern(secretly debated to have been senile) old politician took reigns of the transport ministry and wrestled control away from these cartels through very bloody and cold means. Maybe you can consider doing a story on this. Its one of the few scenarios where cartels actually lose and there is some form of happy ending.
One of the strangest sights of the recent lootings was armed Afrikaners alongside armed taxi drivers blocking roads to stop looters. Kinda gave me hope that there can a better South Africa one day.
Watching all the clips and documentaries on the riots, my biggest take away, the current government is highly inefficient and inept. Governments are there to maintain order and peace, they were mostly not present.
Nope
That gives you hope?
What hope? They're just protecting their profits 😂 Gangs don't care about humanity.
As a subscriber who grew up in SA in the 80s + 90s, just wanted to say absolutely phenomenal work with this docu. You managed to explain it in a concise and objective way, making it understandable from the point of view of each party involved - bosses, drivers, hitmen, passengers, police, government, etc.
Thanks for a very informative video on my Country. Straight to the point and honest. What upset me is the media reporting on the looting in South Africa as if the whole of the Country was in war and then they say nothing about the good parts that came out from the rioting in two Provinces.
Mate! Your research is on point, as a South African living in KwaZulu-Natal... All I can say is, you nailed it bro. 🙏🏽
@Miga Mafiri 🤣🤣
But he is lying though. He says IFP and ANC were the main parties fighting apartheid. The main parties fighting apartheid was PAC and ANC hence they were jailed together at Robben Island. IFP was working with the apartheid government.
@Miga Mafiri Pay your electricity in Gauteng. South Africa thanks you.
As a South African I'm always concerned that viewers might get the wrong idea about our country, but you did it respectfully so thank you.
Eh he oversimplified quite a bit, things are rarely as cut and dry as he makes it seem - and I'm saying this a huge fan. Oversimplification is to be expected, things are rarely as simple as they seem, but this is still a sensationalist channel that has to cut corners in order to highlight the "shock" factor that gets the numbers rolling. And the use of many of these clips was tasteless and only meant to further depict the country in the light that many Western countries (incorrectly) already view it.
As a South African, I'm enjoying seeing all the "as a South African" comments😂
That little title intro was top tier.
The slow zooming out of the text on the yellow background and the traditional music...
Exquisite!
Do you happen to know the intro music he used?
@@FirstNameLastName-uu9qv Sorry I don't. It just feels familiar in a nostalgic kind of way.
Like something I'd hear walking down the streets of a highly cultural neighborhood.
That kind of thing.
you won with this one Jake. being from South Africa did madness needed to be covered.
Amazing video man! You took no side and just explain what happened! I am a South African! Its hard to find accurate South African content told by an outsider online and taking the trophy by making your video educational and entertaining at the same time. Really Really good stuff. Thank you for taking the time do do the research, I'm sure once you started you saw that in South Africa we are living in a movie
I'm a South African and I often use the taxis. Although taxi violence does occur occasionally and taxi drivers tend to drive recklessly and display aggression towards private car drivers, it is a BIG lie that the taxi associations are more powerful than the police and South African army. The state has a clear and undeniable monopoly on violence/force in South Africa. Taxi wars may occur between rival taxi associations but they always end when the police intervene. Also the department of transport here has a tight grip transport/taxi permits and all that entails.
I visited SA back in 2016, heard from locals about this taxi mafia. What a crazy world we live in. nice work Jake!
Not to long ago we had looting and shop raiding happening all over the country , it almost got to my local mall but lets just say the taxi drivers of the area realized
the threat to customers losing jobs and took action in some very questionable ways
South African Mafia: We kill to get passengers.
Jake Tran: Idk man, Here's some Magic spooooon😂
seeing all these positive comments coming from South Africa makes Jake an even more awesome guy and one of the most respectable content creators. I hope and pray he doesn't go missing (soon)
In this country we have the judicial, executive, legislative and the taxis. Literally nothing happens without taxi involvement.
The violence also stems from the Zulus. To understand most of the taxi industry, one needs to understand Zulu people - quite militant.
How so