18 July 2001
"When the government assumed the rule of the country; we inherited high levels
of indiscriminate violence in the taxi industry triggered by lack of regulation.
Fragmented associations wrestled for the control of lucrative routes supported by
armed bandits and innocent passengers became casualties of crossfire. We had to
change the status quo and major strides have since been made."
Minister of Transport Dullah Omar said at the Top 6 Conference held in Kempton Park
yesterday.
The Minister said a BIG NO to a situation, which reminisces one of the biblical lawlessness in Sodom and Gomorra.
Minister Omar said his Department responded to the challenge by developing proactively Taxi Regulation, Democratisation, Formalisation, Legalisation and Recapitalisation programmes. All of these are aimed to give the industry a new look and latest developments are more than impressive. Smooth governance the Department is creating in the industry will result in unprecedented spin offs and tourism boom among others.
"An interesting point to note is that we have won the trust and confidence of the
taxi industry leadership. Representatives of the national taxi
associations/organizations are sitting in the National Conference Planning Committee
(NCPC) and are making intelligent input towards restructuring of the entire
industry. NCPC is to hold a three-day conference in Durban late in August this year
to elect a national taxi body to represent and speak in one voice on all taxi related
matters. Since bilateral commenced between government and taxi leadership
unthinkable unity, trust and peace emerged and have been given a room to
blossom",
Omar said.
The formalization of the minibus taxi industry throughout the whole country has begun. To ensure proper representation in all taxi structures, the democratic process has necessitated the need to conduct elections based on this reality. The process started from the grassroots level where elections have facilitated in primary taxi associations, taxi liaison committees and metropolitan taxi councils with full participation of all taxi operators.
The hope and optimism that the new policy initiatives instill in the Department in regard to national and provincial transportation will go a long way to redress the neglect of infrastructure and economic services in our national budgets over the past decade. The developed initiatives which also bridge the social gap between the rural and urban areas, and it will make it possible for even the most remote communities to broaden their exposure to the urban centers.
The Minister addressed issues pertaining to co-operatives, service station, spares, tyres, cafes and training. He also touched on subsidies. Self-explanatory these issues as they are there is a need to hastily state they will generate many employment as opposed to the media created impression that massive loss of jobs will occur. Taxi owners will benefit from subsidy, which now only sound as a far-fetched dream. On the other hand taxi operators/drivers will for the first time ever be entitled to basic salary.
While the Minister explains "it will become crystal clear that the government has the interest to empower the industry economically and deliver good service to about 65% of the public who rely on this sector for transport".
Transport Department has a continuous responsibility to monitor the industry on a variety of issues. For instance the registered associations must have members, as a requirement, who hold an appropriate operating licence for each vehicle used to provide public transport service and operate to the limit licence relates. Also flowing from the National Land Transport Transition Act No 22 of 2000 are the powers vested in the Minister and MECs to prescribe a minimum Code of Conduct for operators. Only owners-operators compliant with the above, among others, will qualify to receive financial assistance from any organ of state and will also be eligible to be awarded a commercial service contract or a subsidized service contract. Non-compliant members will automatically forfeit any government assistance whatsoever and will needless to say be operating outside the confines of law as the Act’s conditions stipulate.
The painted picture should by now open everybody’s eyes to the fact that all the programmes of taxi restructuring will, once implemented, translate into a win situation for everyone – taxi owners, operators, passengers and country’s economy.
ISSUED BY
Mike Mabasa
HEAD: Media Liaison and Corporate Communication
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT