Transport minister Fikile Mbalula may have to work harder to get the entire taxi industry to endorse the taxi lekgotla, which is instrumental in his efforts to formalise the sector.
The taxi lekgotla began in Boksburg, on the East Rand, yesterday with different role players in the industry present.
The conference was opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who urged the sector to use the gathering to end lawlessness associated with minibus taxis.
The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) was well represented. Members of all its structures as well as its president Phillip Taaibosch were present.
But the second biggest taxi body, the National Taxi Alliance (NTA), rejected the conference, citing bias on the part of government. This is despite Mbalula meeting the NTA on Wednesday.
While the lekgotla was on, the NTA released an official statement explaining its position, saying government had failed to “level the playing fields” between it and Santaco.
“The NTA maintained that it will not participate in a process that violates the freedom of association enshrined in the constitution of our country and seeks to deliver the taxi industry to the highest bidder. The NTA also raised serious concerns about the predetermined outcomes of the lekgotla, which seek to entrench Santaco as the apex leadership of the taxi industry and the dangerous intention to grant Santaco statutory powers symptomatic of referee-and-player scenario,” NTA spokesperson Theo Malele said.
The NTA feels that government is biased towards Santaco, a posture it has held for a long time.
Malele said the NTA wanted the department of transport to release taxi industry Covid-19 relief funding without it being subjected to “the impossible conditions which are not part of the relief fund, but an abuse of state resources to achieve certain goals”. Malele said the NTA planned to go to court to get government to release the funding.
The taxi lekgotla is the first brave step that has been taken by government to get the taxi industry formalised. Government has made it clear that there will be no formalisation without regulation. Government wants taxi owners to properly register as taxpayers. Government is also proposing that the industry move away from being led by taxi associations into business formations or co-operatives.
Government is also in support of having one united entity that will represent the taxi industry.
During the lockdown, Mbalula was able to secure R1.135bn in relief funding for the taxi industry, which included e-hailing services and cabs. One of the requirements for the funding was for the applicant to have a tax clearance certificate and legal operating licence.
Meanwhile, Santaco president Taaibosch took the opportunity to apologise for the sins of the industry.
“If we have offended you indirectly through our drivers, I want to apologise on behalf of the taxi industry. We want to mend [relations with you], we want to give you good service. As the taxi industry, we want to turn the page.
"We want to go to the second page and that is recognising the commuter as the king. We will do everything in favour of the commuter. What we need is the necessary tools to be able to run this industry and hold every taxi operator accountable,” Taaibosch said.
Santaco supports the lekgotla and government’s efforts to formalise the taxi industry.
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