May 17, 2004
By Jonews reporter
THE Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC), a council-owned company responsible for markets and taxi ranks in the city, on Monday locked out taxis operating from Metro Mall.
This move follows an ultimatum issued to taxi operators who have defaulted on rent payments, to pay up by Monday or be locked out of the rank.
The Metro Mall is the largest and best-equipped transport holding facility in the city, catering for taxis, buses and informal traders. The 2520 taxis operating from the rank are each charged R60 per month, generating R151 200 per month for the MTC that goes towards upkeep of the facility.
Last week Nhlanhla Ndovela, operations manager for the MTC said that, collectively, the eight taxi associations operating from the mall have accumulated arrears totalling R1-million over the past year.
In response Dumisani Mntambo, spokesman for Baracity, one of the defaulting associations, said that in principle, taxi associations object to having to pay for the use of public facilities. "We want to meet policy makers to settle this matter. We provide public transport without any government subsidy. We never used to pay any rent for the use of ranks." Mntambo agreed that the rank needed to be maintained, but insisted that the MTC could work with the taxi associations in exploring alternative sources of funding, such as selling advertising space in the rank.
But Ndovela dismissed these concerns, saying that taxi associations had committed to paying rent. "They collect money from their members, but the money never reaches us," charged Ndovela. "Why are they withholding this money? If they want to meet politicians, it's fine, but they must settle their debts."
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