“This thing (the taxi recapitalisation programme) is going to kill our businesses once and for all. Where will we get customers if all taxis are new, and are serviced in town?” said taxi mechanic and Soweto taxi owner Edward Singo.
Singo is one of Gauteng’s vehicle mechanics in the informal minibus taxi support industry who are worried about the government’s taxi recapitalisation programme — citing unemployment and a rise in poverty as major threats.
He says his small business is dependent on the South African minibus taxi industry and that new minibus taxis through the taxi recapitalisation programme could mean a slump in his humble enterprise.
The informal motor mechanic industry is big in most townships and it comprises specialists in different mechanical areas. These include panelbeaters, electricians, welders, gearbox fitters, engineers, wheel alignment and diff adjusters. Most of these specialists operate on street corners and in backyards and employ several helpers each.
In Gauteng, according to the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) secretary-general, Phillip Taaibosch, the informal taxi mechanic industry employs an estimated 1Â 500 people. This, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal at approximately 1Â 000 people.
These figures, he says, are not fully representative of the informal taxi mechanic industry because there is growth every day. He says even the method of data collection was unreliable because it was based only on those mechanics known to Santaco.
In contrast, the formal motor industry, according to the South African Automotive Yearbook 2006, employs more workers on average. As of June this year the formal motor distribution and servicing industry employed 321Â 800 employees.
The automotive component industry stands at 78Â 000; the wheel industry employs 6Â 600, while the vehicle maintenance industry is at 36Â 700 employees.
The parliamentary portfolio committee chairperson on transport, Jeremy Cronin, says there are no figures on this sector. But there are about 200Â 000 individuals employed by the minibus taxi industry nationally. The figure doubles, he says, when drivers and owners are included. He says the local minibus taxi industry is made up of about 150Â 000 taxis, with more than 60% from Gauteng.
“Somebody should research the industry. The fact that there are no figures makes it a criticism for all of us in the transport industry,” Cronin says. He adds that taxi recapitalisation should not be treated as a “stand-alone”, but should encompass elements of the sector.
Services for minibus taxis are cheaper in the informal sector. Mechanics agree on the same charge on different car problems.
Taaibosch says Santaco is doing its best for these people to stay in the industry and will ensure they receive training through the department of labour’s skills development programmes. “We have presented [the idea] of training them and taxi drivers to Teta (Transport Education and Training Authority),” said Taaibosch.