Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Vusi Shongwe has called on taxi associations and bosses to be united to eliminate violence over routes.
Today, the MEC joined the Ntjintja Guluva Campaign, an Anti-crime initiative by Ligwalagwala FM lead by Dj Shabba by driving a taxi which transported commuters from Barberton to Nelspruit and From Nelspruit to Pienaar.
The campaign also known as iJob iJob is aimed at encouraging the youth to take any type of employment in order to generate income instead of resorting to crime. It is believed that some young people tend to undermine certain jobs in the market and perceive them to be trivial and not good enough.
“I started as a taxi driver too, and then I became an owner. I know a number of jobs therefore I want to encourage the youth to take any legal job that comes their way in order to fight poverty which usually leads to crime. I am where I am because I started somewhere. Any job is a job. Our people must assist government to fight unemployment,” said the MEC.
The MEC took the initiative to be a taxi driver today to show young people that any job that brings food on the table is a job. He said that his experience today has shown that there are a lot of frustrations faced by taxi owners and drivers which needed to be dealt with.
He said that a lot of people have died and the business is slowly dying because of the violence that erupts over routes.
“Although I am not responsible for public transport, this violence that taxi associations cause over routes is affecting us and the police. Police must arrest criminals, and not to deal with issues of routes which can be discussed in boardrooms by you as association,” MEC said to the taxi bosses in Nelspruit.
He said that these fights over routes are some of the loopholes that portray a negative image to the public about the industry and the job of driving a taxi. He promised that he will involve the department of Public Works Roads and Transport and Municipalities to deal with the issues.
Enquiries:
Joseph Mabuza
Cell: 082 678 1450
Tel: 013 766 4055
