There have been nearly 300 reports of violence involving metered and Uber taxi drivers this year in Gauteng.
As the impasse continues, government has said it will step in and set up a special task force to deal with the problem.
The greatest number of attacks have happened in Tshwane, with 204, followed by 86 in Johannesburg and four in Ekurhuleni. A total of 28 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, while 166 cases are under investigation. One person has died.
Traditional meter taxi operators have been dead-set against the use of Uber in SA, saying it is eating away at their profits. This resistance has often resulted in threats and intimidation against operators and riders of the alternative app-based taxi service.
In July this year, government said law enforcement agencies would be deployed to all the identified hotspots where Uber operates across Gauteng. However, threats continued, resulting in an Uber car being burnt by meter cab taxi drivers at the Sandton Gautrain Station earlier this month.
Gauteng premier David Makhura said in a media briefing on Sunday: "The Minister of Police [Fikile Mbalula] is going to dedicate a lot of support to this. We will establish a special task force."
He said police in the province have put a lot of effort into the matter.
"We want a dedicated special task force to look at this conflict, especially the use of violence by those who are involved in this," he said, noting the task force will include intelligence and traffic officers, among others. He also said there would be high police visibility on the streets going forward.
Makhura said the escalating violence is disturbing, and it was worrying that there have not been any prosecutions to date. He said special courts should be considered.
"If this matter continues, we can end up having violence where people are recruited to carry out hits... We need a change of gear - violence will not be allowed," he said.
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