and Liaison, Mr BH Cele, at the KwaZulu-Natal launch of the Taxi
Recapitalisation Programme (TRP), Woodburn Rugby Stadium,
Pietermaritzburg
9 December 2006
All protocol observed
It is a fact that the minibus taxi industry is the most critical pillar of
our public transport sector. It is estimated that more than 65% of commuters
rely on minibus taxis for their daily mobility. The process of transforming the
minibus taxi industry started after it was realised that any solution to the
problems facing transport had to include the minibus taxi industry.
It was against this backdrop that the national Department of Transport
established the National Taxi Task Team focusing on three areas, namely
regulation and control; formalisation, training and economic assistance.
During his address at the Scrapping of Old Taxi Vehicles in Botshabelo, Free
State in October, Minister Jeff Radebe said, and I quote, âIt would be
incorrect of us to claim victories of today without acknowledging the
contributions made by our predecessors, Mr Mac Maharaj and the late Dullah
Omarâ.
In this regard, I would also like to give due recognition to efforts made
here in KwaZulu-Natal by the former MEC for Transport and now Premier, Sâbu
Ndebele. Honourable Premier, it was your hard groundwork that has contributed
to the normalisation and restructuring of the taxi industry in this
province.
As government, we have always been looking at how we ensure that the public
transport we manage is friendly, accessible, safe, affordable and ultimately of
benefit to the women and men folk not only of Durban North and Mlazi, but also
to the men and women at Msinga, oPhongolo, eNhlazatshe, and so on.
It was for this reason that TRP was introduced in 1999 with the main
objectives of:
* replacing the current taxi vehicles which are unsafe, un-roadworthy and
unreliable, with purpose-built new taxi vehicles
* achieving an integrated public transport system that responds to the needs of
the users.
Therefore, it gives me great pleasure today to implement what we have been
advocating since the announcement of the National Taxi Task Team
recommendations of 1996.
During July 2005, national Cabinet approved a revised strategy for the
recapitalisation of the taxi industry in South Africa. This new strategy is a
fundamental revision of the initial plan which was approved in September 1999,
since it accommodated almost all the concerns that were raised by the minibus
taxi industry.
The purpose-built new taxi vehicles will be made available in the following
categories:
* minibus with a seating capacity from 10 to 16 including the driver
* minibus with a seating capacity from 17 to 28 including the driver
* minibus with a seating capacity from 29 to 34 including the driver.
The new taxi vehicles that were approved by the South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS) are as follows, and some of these vehicles are on display here
today:
1. Iveco: 22 seater
2. Mercedes Benz: 16 seater and 22 seater
3. Marcopolo Volare: 21 seater and 28 seater
4. Peugeot: 16 seater
5. Tata: 21 seater and 32 seater
6. Toyota Quantum: 14 seater
7. Nissan Interstar: 15 seater
8. Fiat Ducato: 15 seater
9. Isuzu NQR 500: 35 seater
All the new taxi vehicles will be:
* white in colour
* have a South African flag on both sides
* provincial Coat of Arms and route number on the front of each vehicle.
The safety requirements for new taxi vehicles have been incorporated into
the National Road Traffic Regulations. Such safety features include:
* rollover protectors
* wheel bands
* seat belts
* SABS approved tyres
* speed governors
* reflective markings
* driver operated door
* no jockey seats.
The R50 000 fixed scrapping allowance incentive per scrapped vehicle will
only be made available to a legal operator, and provided that all legislative
and administrative requirements are fully complied with.
The deadline for the TRP process in terms of applying for the scrapping of
old motor vehicles was 30 April 2006. To date we have received applications for
396 vehicles to be scrapped, of which only 81 operators wish to exit the
industry.
To those who have opted to exit the taxi industry, we encourage you to
venture into other transport related sectors such as freight and
construction.
Within the freight industry, freight transport provides employment
opportunities, not only in the transport operational sector, but in a wide
range of associated activities, including vehicle and ship supply and
maintenance, forwarding, warehousing and storage, manufacture of equipment and
components, and so on.
In June this year, the national Department of Transport announced the
appointment of Siyazi Consortium to administer the taxi scrapping in all
provinces.
In KwaZulu-Natal a permanent site has been established at Mkhondeni in
Pietermaritzburg. There will be mobile sites in the following areas:
* Vryheid
* Ladysmith
* Durban
* Empangeni.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that passenger safety is
non-negotiable; our commuters deserve better.
Access, mobility, safety, affordability and prosperity are a requirement
that must be fulfilled for every individual and every community of this
province, if we are indeed serious about improving the quality of lives of our
people.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial
Government
9 December 2006
