Five hundred Russian-made 16-seater minibus taxis are being recalled from South Africa for the fourth time since March last year due to mechanical problems.
Owners of the "Gazelles" quoted by the paper claim the vehicles were "death traps" and that it would only be a matter of time before there were fatalities.
One of the owners, Ben Diergaardt from Olifantshoek near Upington, told the vehicle started giving him problems just 15 minutes after he started driving it.
"I had only driven it for about 15 minutes when it stopped ... it was smoking."
The man said he had three gearboxes replaced, and that the wheel alignment was not done properly.
Other problems cited were wheel rims that keep cracking, poor-quality tyres that keep bursting,cracking dashboards, windscreens that pop out, door handles that fall out, defective gear levers and leaking roofs.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Publication time: 18 September 2006, 08:58
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