Workplace relationships of harassment between informal public transport operators, city police and traffic officers in Durban, South Africa

In South Africa, the means of livelihood of informal public transport (IPT) operators are compromised because of harassment and intimidation from police and other state actors in the transport industry. This study sought to examine the impact of police harassment on the well-being of transport operators in Durban. Data for this study were gathered through interviews conducted with metro police officers, taxi owners, rank managers, rank marshals, traffic officers, and transport committee stakeholders in Durban, South Africa. In all, twenty-two interviewees were sampled. The study revealed that both the police and the IPT experience harassment. Harassment by state actors against IPT is evidenced in the abuse of power, demand for a bribe, use of insolent words, and wrong and unjustified legal issuance of traffic fines/tickets. Study evidence from Durban suggested that risky or unconventional traffic behaviour among the IPT operators was related to harassment experiences from the police at the workplace. This is argued to have contributed to negative workplace and home psychological behaviours among IPT operators in Durban. The study contributes to the limited knowledge on Informal Public Transport Operators’ Well-being and Harassment Experiences in Durban, South Africa. Most importantly theoretical understanding of well-being and how individuals, such as the police, contribute to the well-being of IPT.