The meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
This comes after illegal taxi operators blocked a road in Mayiwane, Ulundi, on Monday morning. They also blocked the R34 in Empangeni Mill, on Tuesday morning.
The road in Empangeni was later re-opened following intervention by law enforcement agencies and the department.
Santaco leadership lauded
KwaZulu-Natal transport and human settlements MEC, Siboniso Duma commended the taxi body. He lauded the consistent and bold leadership displayed by Santaco regarding the management of a dispute. The said dispute was over the Nkonjeni route and illegal taxi operations in the region.
Duma has received a briefing from the head of the department, Siboniso Mbhele, and the team. The briefing was regarding the disputes over the taxi routes, dating back to over two years.
“The department’s interventions and enforcement of the law will be intensified to ensure stability,” Duma said. He also emphasised that the meeting will ensure that a long-lasting solution is reached. It will also mark the beginning of a new chapter for the benefit of local commuters who rely on public transport.
The MEC also commended law enforcement agencies and municipalities that are working closely with the department. They were commended for ensuring compliance with the laws and the by-laws.
Safety of commuters and public a priority
“The safety of commuters and the public at large is our priority. In particular, as a department, we have a responsibility to protect the businesses of honest taxi operators. We need to protect them from illegal taxi operators and other criminals. Those who use the taxi industry to achieve their objectives.
“Having assumed my new responsibilities in the department, we will have standing meetings with Santaco. This is an important stakeholder, as it represents more than 246 associations and 16 regions.”
He added that Santaco is responsible for the socio-economic well-being of the province.
“Across South Africa, statistics show that the number of people using taxi services each day is more than 15 million. With an annual turnover of more than R40-billion. In addition, taxi operators spend more than R15-billion on fuel and more than R10-billion on vehicles. [They] spend more than R150-million buying tyres annually.”
- SAnews.gov.za
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