Joburg mayor Dada Morero says the city is congested with illegal minibus taxi ranks and that the problem needs to be addressed.
Speaking on Lillian Ngoyi Street, which was supposed to be reopened on Monday after a gas explosion two years ago, Morero said taxis could not just have ranks anywhere they wanted.
“I want to ask the taxi associations to deal with illegal ranks in the city We can’t have the ranks just being established everywhere,” said Morero.
The chairperson of the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance in Joburg, Sabelo Moya, said the illegal ranks that were being established were due to challenges such asfailing infrastructure.
I want to ask the taxi associations to deal with illegal ranks in the city We can’t have the ranks just being established everywhere.
— Joburg mayor Dada Morero
“We’re still having challenges because, number one, even the ranks that are existing, they are not conducive to use. Some are shaking, some have got water, they’ve got potholes.”
Regarding the opening of the Johannesburg International Transport Interchange — designed to serve as a major node for long-distance and cross-border transport, with terminals for buses and taxis — Morero said: “Unfortunately, there’s still some challenges between the long-distance [taxis] and the City of Johannesburg. So maybe that’s why there’s still a delay.
However, Moya, said: “This thing [the interchange] has been standing for more than four years now. Unfortunately, I’m not part of it, so I don’t know what’s the progress there. Yes, it will help us because if you go through Sauer [now Pixley ka Seme] street, especially in the morning, there’s chaos. So at least if they can open it, there will be a little bit of decongestion.”
Moya said the city should not have been in a rush to announce the opening of Lillian Ngoyi Street as it was not yet complete.
“From what I have seen, there’s absolutely no parking there now. There’s just places where taxis can load and offload and then move. That’s what I saw. And the drainage system is not done yet, even the paving. There’s still some loose paving there.”
The city had billed the reopening of the road to happen on Monday, but postponed it to September 12, saying work on it was not yet complete.
SowetanLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.