It is 5pm. An exhausted-looking man wearing dusty clothes is desperately struggling to fit an oil cap on the wheel of his aged minibus taxi. Old tyres, rubbish and food are strewn everywhere. The nauseating stench of urine pervades the air. This is Randfontein taxi rank, located five minutes’ drive away from the tiny town on the West Rand.
“We are used to these conditions. The municipality never comes here to clean the place. There is no water, no electricity, no toilets … there is absolutely nothing,” taxi driver Collin Shoroma says.
A few metres away Chikila Leipego, a commuter from Witfontein, has been waiting for a taxi for more than an hour. “It’s really frustrating here, especially on a rainy day. You wait and wait until you get tired. There is no place to hide, even if it rains.”
The rank serves more than 20 000 people from Witfontein, Carletonville and Westonaria each day. But there is good news for commuters in the form of a multimillion-rand project aimed at upgrading the rotting infrastructure of the rank.
The project, recently launched by Gauteng transport minister Khabisi Mosunkutu, forms part of a R2,2-billion programme to transform existing taxi and bus ranks around the country into diversified retail and service outlets. These will include retail stores, financial and banking facilities, medical clinics, pension pay-out points, community centres, vehicle dealerships and other motor-related services.
The 10-year programme, which will be facilitated by empowerment property development group Taxiprop and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), aims not only to improve transport infrastructure but also to stimulate economic growth in the country.
Minibus taxis provide 65% of the 2,5-billion annual passenger trips in urban areas and a high percentage of rural and intercity transport. There are more than 480 taxi associations operating throughout the country and Santaco is the body representing the entire industry in South Africa.
Taxiprop was appointed last December to oversee the programme, which is set to create more than 60 000 new jobs over 10 years. Taxiprop CEO Kevin Williams says the programme is divided into two categories of development: one focused strategically on high-density transportation nodes and the other on townships, where there is a lack of infrastructure.
“The programme presents a vital opportunity to the entire retail sector in South Africa.
“It will bring services closer to the community and lessen the burden of those who are forced to travel long distances,” says Williams.
Williams says the new transport system will also address the issue of safety within public transport ranks. Twenty-four-hour electronic surveillance systems will be put in place, with armed guards on patrol.
The systematic development and improvement of public transport has been identified as essential for continued and accelerated economic growth in South Africa.
There is also relief in sight for rail commuters, as the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (Sarcc) has recently launched a programme to upgrade railway stations. March saw the launch of a multimillion-rand renewal project at Germiston station. The station, which serves more than 100 000 people a day, is in a dilapidated state.Â
The project has been initiated in a bid to improve commuter safety and passenger flow at the station. The first phase will be funded by Sarcc and will focus on safety, including new access controls, upgrades to subways, fencing and lighting of platforms.
The second phase, to be funded by the Gauteng department of transport at a cost of R7-million, will include the construction of a pedestrian walkway across railway lines to allow passengers safe access to other modes of transport leaving the station.
In another development, a brand new commuter station in Soshan-guve, built by Sarcc to relieve the growing congestion on the Mabopane line, was recently opened.
“Due to the high levels of unemployment and poverty in the area, the communities are dependent on rail transport and the [old] facilities are sadly inadequate,” says Sarcc group executive Selomane Maitisa.