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A very good afternoon and welcome to you all. Today's media briefing
is primarily about two issues. The first is the illegal taxi conversions
and the second is the National Joint Working Group on Public Transport.

ILLEGAL TAXI CONVERSIONS

Following recent media reports that illegally converted panel vans
which do not meet government's safety standards were being operated as
minibus-taxis, we in the Department of Transport, immediately, initiated
an investigation into this matter.

We must emphasize that our initial investigations revealed that
approximately 1 070 illegally converted panel vans, and not 4 000 as
reported by some media, were operating as minibus-taxis for reward.
These illegal taxis are being operated in contravention of the National
Land Transport Transition Act (NLTTA). These panel vans, which have been
converted illegally, are a danger to the community, the nation as well
as the commuter, who is our most important client in public transport.

In the event of a road crash, the damage and severity of injury, in the
case of these illegal panel vans transporting commuters, is far more
severe when compared to a minibus taxi, which complies with the
prescribed safety regulations.

As government, we want to re-iterate that one life lost on our roads is
one too many. Therefore, unsafe and un-roadworthy vehicles cannot, and
will not, be allowed on the roads.
In the case of these illegally converted panel vans being operated as
minibus-taxis, we are calling for the withdrawal of the Operating
Licences and the recall of all affected vehicles with immediate effect.

We are, however, continuing our engagement with the taxi industry and
all other stakeholders in this regard. We commend SA Taxi Finance for
its commitment towards investing about R20 million to try and rectify
the situation with regards to non-compliant taxis it had financed. We
will also be meeting with other financial institutions and key vehicle
manufacturers to ensure that their vehicles are legal. We also call upon
any organisation or individual who may have any information that may
assist the Department in its investigation to please come forward with
such information.

Our probe includes the following:
● The validity of claims that illegally converted vehicles entered
the system through the Operating Licensing Board;
● The number of illegally converted vehicles operating as taxis;
and
● The number of illegal taxis that have been financed.

The conditions of the Operating Licence are very clear. One of these
conditions is that an Operating Licence, for recapitalisation purposes,
must be attached to the vehicle and that such vehicle must meet the
safety requirements as per the regulations.

We also wish to advise that the Department of Transport, through the
National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), produces a Taxi
Recapitalization Compliance List that is published periodically. This is
the only legal notice that lists compliant vehicles as well as compliant
vehicle manufacturers, importers and builders (MIBs).

Our responsibility, as government, is to provide our commuters with
safe, effective, reliable, affordable and accessible public transport.
Safety is a key priority of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme and we
will, therefore, intensify our efforts on illegal public transport
operators and operations. To this end:

● We have no moratorium on the application of the law to the
letter. Our law enforcement authorities will ensure that if they
encounter any illegality on our roads, they deal with it. This includes
drunk driving, speeding and any one found driving an un-roadworthy
vehicle. Our enforcement drives continues unabated.

● Those operating non-compliant public transport vehicles will
have to face the consequences of their actions. In this regard, any
person found guilty of an offence, be it a government official or member
of the public, will face the full might of the law.

● Our enforcement agencies have already pulled numerous illegal
vehicles off the road. As investigations continue, more and more of
these vehicles will be taken off the road.

● The SABS will be intensifying its investigation into illegal
vehicle conversions, and once the Inspectorate of MIBs (Manufacturers,
Importers and Builders) discovers that an MIB is performing such
conversions, such MIB will be immediately suspended.

● The Department will conduct an investigation of all dealers who
changed the status of vehicles from panel vans to passenger carrying
vehicles. The Department will, with immediate effect, block all
transactions relating to panel vans.

THE NATIONAL JOINT WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT

With regards to the second issue, the national Joint Working Group on
Public Transport (NJWG), as you are all aware, President Jacob Zuma told
the taxi industry in April to defer negotiations on the Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) system until after the elections.
During the State of the Nation Address, President Zuma said the
Minister of Transport would resume discussions with the industry by 11
June 2009.

Indeed, on 11 June 2009 we met over 2 000 representatives of the
industry made up of taxi associations and their organised structures
nationally. Prior to that, we held fruitful discussions with leaders of
the South African National Taxi Council.

On 26 June 2009, we met the leadership of the National Taxi Alliance
(NTA) and held similar consultations with provincial departments and
affected municipalities.

We have now started a "CODESA" of the taxi industry. Our structured
engagement focuses on five strategic areas:
1. Implementing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and other
Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) projects.
2. Taxi subsidisation and the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme.
3. Legislation, licensing and regulatory issues.
4. Enterprise development.
5. Communication and stakeholder engagement.

Last Thursday (30 July), the NJWG met at Gallagher Estate in
Johannesburg with 150 representatives from the taxi industry, primarily
representing the BRT-implementing cities. The NJWG has agreed to
prioritise the BRT negotiations so that agreement is reached as soon as
possible. Whilst finalising the BRT-process, engagement on the other
issues will continue so that an interim report is submitted soon and
implementation commences by October.

Government is taking this matter very seriously and, therefore, it has
received attention from the highest level. We also want to commend the
taxi industry for the serious manner in which they have been engaging
with us on this issue.
Both government and the taxi industry are committed to finding a
lasting solution to all outstanding matters.

In this vein, we would like to acknowledge the presence of the taxi
industry here today. Their presence indicates a new leaf in our
relationship as partners and stakeholders in the transport sector. We
are fast unveiling a period where conflict is replaced by negotiations
and engagement and where violence is buried and peace dawns. The future
we are defining together will be characterised by economic empowerment
and inclusion.

In conclusion, we have said that transportation is one of the key
determinants of a developed economy. For many years South Africa has
been described as a developing country but for us to move to a developed
country, transport has an important role to play. Our vision is of an
economically developed country in which the transport sector plays a key
role. We will not be able to achieve this alone but together with
commuters, transport operators and the entire nation.

WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE!