April 20, 2004
By Thomas Thale
IN AN effort to speed up the formalisation of the operations of the taxi industry, the Gauteng Transport Department on Friday issued a batch of 5 000 new taxi registration permits and promised to issue all outstanding permits by the end of the month.
Sizwe Matshikiza, spokesman for the Transport Department, confirmed that 5000 permits had been issued under the Government's Be Legal Campaign (BLC), 2000 under the Special Legalisation Process (SLP), and that another batch would be issued by the end of the week.
Molefe Rapodile, spokesman for the National Taxi Alliance (NTA), hailed the issuing of permits as a step in the right direction of "legitimising taxi operators in their business".
This latest move was sparked when taxi associations affiliated to the NTA marched to the offices of Mbhazima Shilowa, premier of Gauteng in March, protesting against the impounding of their taxis by provincial transport authorities. The strikers demanded that the government speeds up the process of issuing permits and that it stops impounding taxis without permits until the process of issuing permits had run its course. As a result, Shilowa pledged to have the grievances of taxi operators resolved within weeks.
Rapodile said the establishment of a task team made up of government officials and taxi bosses had improved relations between the two parties. "We commend the premier for his honesty. Our members are now happy. There is no way you can run a business without a licence," he said.
Matshikiza conceded that there had been delays in issuing licences, but maintained that no taxi had ever been impounded for not having a permit. "Some owners have not been coming to collect their permits," charged Matshikiza, vowing that the government will clamp down on unroadworthy vehicles to protect commuters.
Rapodile said the taxi industry supported steps to remove unroadworthy vehicles from the road and called on the government to introduce more stringent measures to regulate the taxi industry. "Vehicles must be tested more often. Taxi drivers must undergo courses in customer relations and on safety issues before they get their professional drivers' permits. Currently, they only undergo eye tests."
Once all permits had been issued, the department would consider lifting the moratorium on the impounding of taxis, said Matshikiza.
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