Many commuters will be left stranded on Friday morning as Johannesburg taxi operators join those in Pretoria for a march to the Union Buildings, the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) said.
Operators will be protesting against the proposed taxi recapitalisation process due to start from Saturday, said spokesperson Sicelo Mabaso on Thursday.
”Taxi recapitalisation should be scrapped with immediate effect because it is unaffordable, unrealistic, retrogressive.”
He said the recapitalisation programme was only implemented to destroy the taxi industry and current taxi operators.
”We are also demanding an immediate stop to the impounding of taxis for permit-related offences caused by the government and its statutory bodies who fail to issue permits.”
Mabaso said that operators were also calling for all taxi permits or operating licences to be made permanent.
”We want the 12-year overdue moratorium on taxi permits to be lifted because it is retarding both growth and the development of the taxi industry,” he said.
”We also want the government to start consulting with genuine leaders of the taxi industry on matters affecting the industry and to stop liaising with the South African National Taxi Council [Santaco] on our behalf.”
Santaco, the biggest taxi alliance in the country followed by NTA, will not participate in the protest action.
The Department of Transport has planned to scrap more than 10 000 taxis by December and every owner will receive a R50 000 allowance for each legally registered old minibus taxi scrapped.
But Mabaso said the money fell far short of the deposit owners have to pay for new taxis.
Protesters are expected to meet at Schubart Park at the corner of Schubart and Proes streets in Pretoria from 7am.
They will then proceed to the Union Buildings where a memorandum of demands will be handed over to Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe.
Tshwane metro police spokesperson Director Mel Vosloo said officers will be monitoring the situation.
The protest will follow one in Cape Town on Thursday.
A bus was burned and two hijacked during a protest by taxi drivers in Cape Town. Hijacked buses were used to block the N2 highway. Thirty people were arrested following the incident.
Following this, trade union federation the Congress of South African Trade Unions issued a statement condemning the incident.
”While we understand taxi drivers’ frustrations, we do not condone their violent protest action.” — Sapa