TAXI DRIVERS PROTEST ON SOUTH AFRICA'S M1-NORTH MOTORWAY, 2001-08-14 (photo)

Taxi drivers protest against the government's plans to tighten regulation of their industry on South Africa's M1-north motorway August 14, 2001. South African taxi drivers protesting government plans to tighten regulation of their industry on Tuesday brought traffic to a standstill on one of the country's main highways. More than 100 taxis blocked the M1-North highway running from the country's commercial heartland of Johannesburg to the capital Pretoria, witnesses said. The protest focused on government plans to scrap an ageing taxi fleet - part of a multi-million rand (dollar) re-capitalisation scheme to improve transport infrastructure for the black majority and make roads safer. JN/KM