Remarks by the Minister of Transport Mr Joe Maswanganyi on the occasion of the prayer for peace in the taxi industry held at Dobsonville Stadium Soweto
The Mother of the Nation, Ms Winnie Madikizela Mandala; Leadership of the Winnie Madikisela Mandela Foundation; Minister of Police, Mr Fikile Mbalula;
Acting Premier, Mr Panyaza Lesufi; Gauteng MEC for Transport, Mr Ismail Vadi;
Gauteng MEC for Community Safety and Liaison, Ms Sizakele Nkosi- Malobane;
Councillors Present;
President of the National Taxi Alliance; Mr Francis Mohanoe Masitsa; Leadership of other Taxi Associations and Taxi Operators and Drivers; Bishop Sithole and other Faith Based Leaders and Denominations; Leadership of the Administration of the National, Provincial and Local government sphere;
Members of the Media Ladies and Gentlemen
I greet you all
We are gathered here today to pray for peace in the Taxi Industry, led by our own Mother and Leader, Comrade Winnie Madikizela Mandela. Having led the Struggle in the African National Congress for decades, our Mother saw it befitting that we today gather and pray for peace in the Taxi Industry. Thank you Mother of the Nation for your continuous love for South Africa and its people, including your caring for the success of the taxi industry.
This Prayer meeting takes place as we celebrate Africa Month under the theme The Year of OR Tambo: Building a Better Africa and a Better World”.
This year’s Africa Month celebrations coincide with the centenary of our struggle stalwart Oliver Reginald Tambo who was instrumental in rallying support, assistance and solidarity for the African National Congress against the oppressive apartheid regime.
Programme Director, it is an open secret that the taxi industry was for many years left deliberately unregulated by the apartheid regime. This led to violence and conflict of unprecedented levels which on more occasions made ordinary commuters and passengers unwilling victims.
To ensure that the taxi industry operates in an environment that enables it to thrive, in 1994 the ANC government and the taxi industry established the National Taxi Task Team (NTTT), which led to a united approach and a speedy transformation of the industry.
Amongst the major recommendation of the task team was that Government must intervene in the taxi industry to address issues regarding economic empowerment, regulation, skills development and training. Amongst the other critical issues was the issues of the lack of economic assistance in the industry which made the industry unable to renew its aged fleet thereby operating in an unregulated manner.
In response to this situation, Government together with the taxi industry and commuters conceptualised what today is known as the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme which is currently under review and will be represented to Parliament this year.
Equally important, government is finalising the Public Transport Subsidy Policy, which will focus more on subsidising the user than the operators, irrespective of the mode of public transport they use.
It is totally unacceptable that other modes, particularly the taxis are not included in the current subsidy regime despite the 2013 National Household Travel Survey results which indicate that taxis are the most preferred public transport mode, accounting for over 68% of the daily commuting public.
Given this disparity in subsidies or lack of it, I will be meeting the taxi industry, the rail sector and the bus operators to discuss the public transport subsidy policy.
Admittedly, with the challenges that continues to bedevil the taxi industry, government has been able to provide legislative requirements of operating licences to ensure that taxi operations are confined to a specific area and route of operation as opposed to the previous radius based operations, which saw some powerful operators or individuals and their respective associations invading some routes operated on by rival associations.
Programme Director, I want to take this opportunity to drive home the message that no taxi operator or association own any particular route and or public transport infrastructure in this country.
Taxi operators conduct an essential service on the routes allocated to them solely on the discretion of statutory bodies such as the Operating Licensing Boards.
The previous lack of regulation in the taxi industry has in certain instances led some of the operators and associations to believe that they own and control the routes and can therefore dictate and or approve who shall and who shall not operate on specific route.
Some individuals in the industry mistakenly believe that they have the capacity to decide who can or cannot have access to certain ranking and public transport facilities and amenities. Such practise would neither be condoned nor tolerated but shall be met with the full might of the law.
We therefore call upon the taxi industry to unite against violence mooted against women and children and any form of anarchy and criminality in the taxi industry. We call upon the industry to take a stance and expose those few individuals inclined on derailing the country from a good course of providing an affordable, accessible, safe and sustainable taxi industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the routes on which taxis operate and buses operate belong to the people of South Africa and Government had been bestowed with the mandate to administer them on behalf of the citizenry of the republic.
We want to emphasize that our law enforcement campaigns can never accommodate operators who are hijacking the routes that do not belong to them.
Similarly, operators who are found operating un-roadworthy and unsafe vehicles have no excuse not to be subjected to fierce law enforcement. Working together with SAPS led by Minister Mbalula we will ensure that safety of our people is not postponed any longer.
However, it must be noted that Government’s approach to law enforcement is not only targeted to the taxi industry alone but to all motorists and road users who disobey the rules of the road.
As government we are seeking partnership with the taxi industry as mass public transport carriers. Together with all round users let us join hands in the implementation of our recently approved National Road Safety Strategy. Each and every citizens of South Africa must be a road safety ambassador. Government acting alone cannot adequately reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads. United we can fight the scourge of these atrocities.
Government appreciates the current taxi association’s road safety as well as good customer etiquette initiatives aimed at changing the face of the taxi industry. We view these initiatives as an important milestone in bridging the gap in relationships between the taxi industry and public, drivers and commuters as well as within the industry.
These initiatives by the taxi industry will ensure that no longer will taxi drivers and operators be seen as unprofessional and reckless, no longer will they be seen as rude to their customers – but as professionals in their field.
I therefore call upon the taxi industry leadership to be creative and innovative by taking advantage of the size of the taxi industry and its significance as the consumer of various goods and service to consider ways and means of helping sustain the industry and by remain the public transport of choice. We will continue our partnership with the Winnie Madikizela Mandela foundation and the Women in the taxi industry, led by women in transport to radically transform this industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen as we all know, today is not the day of speaking but a day of Prayer.
United in one Prayer, let us say: Arrive Alive!
Away with taxi violence!
NO to women and child abuse on our taxis!
Forward with treating passenger with dignity, respect, love and humanity! Forward with taxi industry prosperity, forward!
I thank you.
