Gauteng’s Security MEC Jessie Duarte is ready to defy the Constitution — if that’s what it takes to halt the spiral of taxi warfare, reports Jonathan Ancer
Warring taxi drivers were warned this week that they would be denied bail if arrested.
Speaking at a conference of the South African Long Distance Taxi Association (Saldta), Gauteng Safety and Security MEC Jessie Duarte said: “By appealing to the Attorney General not to grant bail to people involved in the taxi war, I am going against the constitution.
“But,” she said, “if these people come out of jail they just continue killing.”
Since the beginning of the year, at least 111 people have been killed and 135 injured in the ongoing battle for supremacy among rival taxi associations.
Duarte called on members of the association to stop bribing policemen, to get rid of their hit squads and to weed out those who were perpetrating violence.
“Our main concern is for the passengers. The taxi industry has left people wondering whether they are going to reach their destinations alive.”
The Minister of Transport, Mac Maharaj, also sent a scathing message to the taxi industry.
“You waited for us to come to you. I was deeply hurt by your attitude, because you put the interests of a particular sector of the community above the national
He asked for the industry to explain why there was suddenly a resurgence of taxi violence.
Maharaj said that the bottom line for ending the conflict was to expel those responsible for the
Their comments highlighted the urgent need to transform the industry, which millions of South Africans rely on
Saldta chairman Thulani Khubeka said the violence would continue until there was unity in the taxi industry.
“The industry must speak to Mac Maharaj with one voice. It is essential that lines of communication be opened between passengers and operators.”
Gauteng Public Transport MEC Olaus Van Zyl pointed out that the taxi industry, which accounts for 50 percent of all public transport, does not get a government subsidy.
Yet the bus and train services receive an annual allowance from the government of R2,3-billion.
“We will be looking at financial assistance because costs like insurance, fuel and the maintenance of vehicles are high,” he said.
The Department of Transport is setting up 33 public hearings spread over the nine provinces.
According to Maharaj, these hearings would give every role player an opportunity to voice grievances.
“From the hearings, we will be able to sift through options and find solutions to ensure a sustainable, economical taxi industry,” he said.
A National Taxi Task Team (NTTT) was set up in March by Maharaj to consult with stakeholders to identify problems in the industry.
“The job of the NTTT is not to make policy — it is take all the issues, analyse them, and bring them back to the role players. These will then be taken as recommendations to government,” Maharaj said.
The NTTT has proposed setting up an office for the industry in each province, and a training programme. The provinces will be looking at the details of implementing these proposals.
According to Depak Patel, chairperson of the NTTT, the purpose of setting up offices around the country was to build the infrastructure for rival associations to start talking to each other.
“Only a few years ago, the taxi industry was regarded as an example of black economic empowerment. Today, there is serious concern about the future viability of the industry. What happened over the last few years?” he asked.
The cause of the violence, according to Professor Peter Marcuse, a Fulbright scholar from Columbia University who recently visited Wits University, is that, having publicly created the need for mass transportation, the apartheid government then privatised a response that should have been a public one.
“This brought on the cut-throat (often literally) private competition whose results we see today.”
He also claimed that government subsidies were
Randall Howard, secretary general of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), said the taxi industry has to be regulated so that proper permit systems are put in place and routes are determined effectively.
“Taxi drivers are not registered with the Department of Manpower, they are not entitled to unemployment insurance and there is no minimum wage. Taxi drivers should be covered by the new Labour Relations Act.”