MEC Job Mamabolo on verification and authentication process as Soweto routes open

MEC Mamabolo pleased with verification and authentication process as Soweto routes open

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Mr Jacob Mamabolo, has expressed his satisfaction following a successful verification and authentication process of Witwatersrand Taxi Association (WATA) and Nancefield Dube West Association (NANDUWE) minibus taxis that will be operating on routes that were opened in Soweto yesterday, 18 June 2019.

More than a hundred minibus taxis went through the verification and authentication process and were issued with bright orange identification stickers, before immediately resuming operations. The vetting process which included operators presenting their Operating Licenses, was to ensure that unsafe and illegal vehicles are not allowed on the route.

The reopening of the routes that had been closed following violent confrontations between the two associations after they came up with an agreement which they signed at the historic Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto.

The South Gauteng High has ratified the agreement and it is now an order of the court. 

"I am pleased with the cooperation that we have received from both associations. I believe what we’ve been able to achieve in a few days sets the bar high and I think the taxi industry is destined for a better future if we continue working together in this manner.

"As per the agreement, common stickers have been affixed on taxis that will be operating on the disputed routes. We are hopeful that this process will yield positive results and bring the much-needed safe operations to Soweto commuters," MEC said.

He added that the resumption of operations is not an end on its own, but the beginning of continuous engagements and consultations between the two associations and the department.

"It is for this reason that the Department has resolved to host a two-day consultative Taxi Summit to address some of the issues in the industry. The summit will take place from 09-10 July 2019," Mamabolo said. 

He added that the taxi industry played a key role in the economic development of the province and that it can be improved through continuous consultations among stakeholders.

Working with law enforcement, the department will monitor operations on the routes to ensure that all operators abide by the agreement.

For more information, contact the Department of Roads and Transport Spokesperson Theo Nkonki on 082 719 6404 or Media Liaison Officer Melitah Madiba on 073 644 9935 

E-mail: PressOffice.gpdrt@gauteng.gov.za

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