Keynote Address at the occasion to mark the fourth National Conference of the South African National Taxi Council by Ms Dipuo Peters: MP Minister of Transport at Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg
Programme Director MECs present
SANTACO President: Mr July Msiza The entire SANTACO leadership
Heads of Departments and other Govt Officials CEOs of Govt Entities
Members of the SAPS and Metro Police Distinguished Guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is a great pleasure to be here today to address you at this important occasion in the calendar of SANTACO; at the fourth national conference. This conference wherein the new leadership will also be elected will be another demonstration that when it comes to matters of governance nothing beats a democratic order.
The conference is also held on the eve of national elections that we all are looking forward to as we put yet another building block to our maturing democratic system. I shall return to this point later.
Firstly I need to reassure SANTACO that government remains committed to ensuring united, well developed and professional taxi industry. As you would recall SANTACO was established as a united vehicle that government support to improve the lot in the public transport system. The establishment was informed by a process developed by the National Taxi Task Team (NTTT) in the mid 1990’s.
Government and the industry saw it fit to unite with the aim of uniting the different taxi bodies to ensure that there is a single voice advocating taxi related matter.
The NTTT came with three important recommendations, namely:
- Formalisation and regulation,
- Economic development and empowerment, and
- Training and development.
These recommendation culminated in the first united national council called SATACO, which after further refinement was renamed SANTACO; the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP) as well as the numerous training and development programmes that not only targeted drivers for better driving techniques and behaviour but also leadership and office bearers of the industry in business management. While we all can boast several success and have a good story to tell we should also concede challenges that together we need to address.
The importance of the taxi industry
Taxis are by far the biggest mode of choice among the majority of South African commuter. The mode accounts for over 65% of passengers transported daily. This makes it the most important mode used mainly by the poor. The ability to provide a door to door service makes taxis more attractive and easily accessible. It is for these and related reasons the ANC government saw the need to nurture and develop the taxi industry.
On the other hand, the taxi industry contributed R40bn to the national economy each year. This, taking into consideration where the industry comes from and how it was conceived, is a significant contribution. The SANTACO TR 2020 Strategy also informs that the industry contributed around 300 000 direct and indirect jobs. The country needs these jobs to grow the economy.
Ladies and gentlemen you will agree with me that the industry is uniquely South African; more especially in relation to minibus taxi. We all have the responsibility of jealously guarding and developing this proudly South African brand.
The role of Government
Before the new democratic government came into power in 2004, the taxi industry was neglected and let to survive on its own. This let to numerous challenges like competition for the routes, fighting for lucrative routes, lack of cohesion, use of unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles, and sometimes violence; to mention but a few.
As part of its responsibility within the NTTT process the new ANC led government introduced policies, legal frameworks and related measures to support the taxi industry.
The National White Paper on Transport Policy is one such intervention on policy matters. The White Paper recognised the important role played by the taxi industry in main stream public transport and called not only for the formalisation and regulation of the industry but also pronounced on competition for the roads and not on the roads. Simply put, the industry must be supported to compete for public transport contracts on specified routes and desist from competing for passengers on the roads in a form of regulated competitive tendering. This, the White Paper indicated, would ensure integration into mainstream public transport and benefit from government subsidies.
Government also introduced laws and regulations to support the taxi industry. The National Land Transport Act (NLTA), which was preceded by the National Land Transport Transition Act (NLTTA). The NLTA provided for the development of Integrated Public Transport (Rapid) Networks Plans (IRPTN’s) by planning and contracting authorities. Well developed plans should include operations by all modes of public passenger transport; including taxis. This is a requirement that would qualify complying municipalities to benefit from the DOT managed Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Grant (PTIS).
It is logical that IRPTN’s designs whose operations affects and to some extent replace current operations should involve those current operations in new ones. The case in point is the stake that the Joburg’s Rea Vaya operations are managed by the local taxi operators under the auspices of Riotinto. The national government insists all other municipalities to adopt this model if they are to comply with both the NLTA and the Public Transport Strategy of 2007.
The department also introduced and implemented various programmes and processes to support the taxi industry. This included the Special Legalisation Process (SLP), the Be Legal Campaign (BLC) as well as the famous Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP).
While the SLP and BLC were designed to legalise illegal taxis the TRP’s aim was to replace old unroadworthy and unsafe vehicles with new safe ones. To date 57 504 vehicles have been scrapped. I am also happy to announce that Cabinet has approved that we increase the scrapping allowance from R66 000 to R70 000 per vehicle; with inflation linked increases at the beginning of each financial year. While this is just a drop and may not bring significant relief to affordability challenges in relation to acquisition of new vehicles, it is a token from your government and must be cherished.
Programme Director, I call upon SANTACO not only to support the programme but also take keen interest I the benefits that are accrued to the as partner and shareholder in the Taxi Scrapping Agency (TSA). This is your business and must benefit your members. I also want to announce that we are in the process of reviewing the programme to maximise the benefits to the industry at large.
Recently, government adopted the 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) – whose theme is “Our future – Make it work”. The NDP enjoins us to create a social contract that must help propel South Africa to higher levels of development as well as build a more cohesive and equitable society. There is emphasis on the development of SMME’s within the NDP and I call upon SANTACO to partner us as we align our plans and programmes with the NDP.
Programme Director, ladies and gentlemen; last year in October I met the SANTACO leadership as part of our stakeholder engagement. Even though the meeting was supposed to be a “meet and great” type of meeting, I want to commend SANTACO for making get on with serious business right away.
It is that meeting that made me to direct the department to organise the Taxi Summit that develop and adopt resolutions that would allow us to develop programmes that would transform the taxi industry like never before. I am happy today to announce that the Summit will take place on 16 and 17 April this year. Issues that would be discussed and possibly resolved in that Summit include all issues raised with me in the October meeting, namely,
- Taxi Recapitalisation (TRP)
- Subsidy
- Economic Empowerment (Cooperatives)
- Legislation- National Land Transport Act (NLTA)
- Operating Licenses
- Training and Development
- Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTNs) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
- National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR)
- Road Safety
- National Joint Working Group (NJWG)
- Law Enforcement
Preparatory work on the Summit has begun and discussion papers on the above focus areas are being developed. Very soon the industry shall be engaged to ensure that all matters are dealt with thoroughly. I call on SANTACO to avail themselves and participate fully and meaning fully in this process. Details will be made available in the next few days.
Responsibility
With the ‘good story’ I mentioned above comes responsibility. It cannot be that 20 years into democracy the commuters are still subjected to unroadworthy and unsafe vehicles, recklessness and speeding, unruly behaviour from some of the drivers and marshals as well as unreliability and uncertainty in relation to the completeness of their trips. Just yesterday I went to Rustenburg to the scene of an horrific accident that killed and injured school children and preliminary findings point to serious driver error.
I call on SANTACO continue with and sustain the ‘good story’ and instil discipline and professionalism among your members. The benefits will definitely be there to see and you will attract even more passengers.
I must mention Programme Director that SANTACO as a body does commendable job in a number of areas. The TR3 2020 Strategy provided for conceptualisation of Operation Hlokomela, a road safety campaign that has produced remarkable results. I am reminded of an accident that happened a few years ago whereby a taxi that was travelling to from Pretoria to Nelspruit when the driver lost control Witbank and the vehicle overturned, jumped over a bridge and landed top-down in a raging river killing 11 people. Because of a requirement of having a passenger list that was popularised by Operation Hlokomela, all 11 were identified and their families in and around Nelspruit, 200km away were notified within 1 hour of the accident happening.
Continue with the good work and also reign in on your members that commit avoidable and often fatal errors.
Unity within the industry
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you agree with me that one of the founding principles of SANTACO was unity within the industry. Unity is indeed strength. History has recorded the demise of apartheid that was made possible and quick by the united force against it.
As government, we cannot help it but voice our discomfort when tendencies of disunity are witnessed. This is a recipe for disaster and the SANTACO leadership must double efforts to avoid these tendencies.
A single united taxi body presents a perfect platform to engage and bargain. The voice is one and stronger and desirable outcomes are easy and quick to induce.
Conclusion
As I conclude, allow me Programme Director to come back to the critical point I promised earlier to come to. This conference will also elect a new leadership and I would like to wish you well in that process. I trust that democracy will reign and you will make the right choices. I am told that regional and provincial elections were held under free and fair conditions and there can never be replacements of those fundamental principles of democracy.
As elect your own leaders be reminded that the country is also going hold national and provincial elections on 7 May 2014. As always we call on SANTACO to impress upon their members to provide the much needed and always appreciated logistical support to ensure that the millions of voters do get to polling stations and exercise their rights with ease and comfort.
I thank you and wish you good luck for the remainder of the conference.
