Image Source: The Citizen
Local – National Taxi Association (NTA) spokesperson Theo Malele says the government has failed to deliver on promises made to the taxi industry, accusing successive transport ministers of talking without follow-through. He says the alliance is no longer willing to accept promises that go nowhere.
The NTA has given Transport Minister Barbara Creecy 14 days to respond to a list of demands, including a fuel rebate, cheaper vehicle finance and access to public transport subsidies. The organisation says it will mobilise for national protest action if the minister does not respond.
Malele said the minister had made commitments early in her term that have not materialised, and that the alliance has grown tired of waiting for government to act on them. He said the promises stretch back to when the minister first took office, and that operators have seen little change on the ground since then despite repeated assurances.
“The minister from inception had made promises that she was going to treat the National Taxi Alliance equally, like the government would normally treat Santaco. To date, all this has just been a talk shop and no action can be taken on this,” Malele said.
Financial Pressure on Operators
Vehicle finance has become one of the biggest sources of tension between the industry and government. Repayment terms that stretch well beyond the originally agreed period are leaving many taxi owners unable to keep up, and more vehicles are being repossessed as a result.
Malele said the repossession cycle has become a business for financiers, at the expense of operators who lose their vehicles. He said vehicles are often repossessed, refurbished, and resold multiple times, passing through several owners while the original operator is left with nothing to show for years of repayments.
“There are vehicles that have been repossessed on an ongoing basis, and this is not because people like this to happen, it is because they cannot afford it. So to retailers it’s a good business to them, and to us as an industry it is not fair,” Malele said.
Threat of Protest Action
If the minister fails to respond within the 14-day window, the NTA says it will consult its structures across all nine provinces before deciding on a date to march on the Department of Transport’s offices in Pretoria and hand over a memorandum of grievances.
Malele said commuters would not be cut off from transport, but warned that the industry’s patience with government has run out. He said the alliance would rather withhold its services from government than operate under conditions it considers unfair, and that it would only change course once the minister sits down and addresses its demands.
“If two bulls are at each other, it is the grass that suffers. Unfortunately, if the minister’s ears are still plucked with wax, we will have to withhold our services until those that are holding power can begin to listen to our grievances, because we also have a right to be listened to,” Malele said.
