Lines snake at the rank stretch as far as the eye can see. Minibuses with their wheels slanting at a dangerous angle and with doors held together by a coat hanger and a prayer stop suddenly at the edge of a major intersection. Taxis are a part of the daily grind for nearly 70% of South Africans who have put their time and lives in the hands of an industry that couldn’t care less about them.
The Department of Transport held the National Transport Conference this week, which saw the taxi industry come with its begging bowl for money to fix vehicles, get new ones, and subsidise the cost of financing existing ones. Essentially, they want the government’s help to further their near-monopoly on transport in the country. Anyone who has ridden enough taxis can tell you that a fix-up is badly needed.
Anyone who has been late for work because of a shortage can tell you that more taxis are needed. Anyone who has broken down on the side of the road can tell you that most vehicles have not had a service since an Afrikaaner last wore long pants. But the reality is that even if they got the government’s help, taxi associations won’t add to their fleet or extend their reach because it will flare up the war they have with other operators over routes.
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Who loses? The passenger has no choice but to wait for a taxi to arrive. What is the alternative?
Fixing and maintaining fleets are costly and lead to downtime, which is a swear word for most taxi bosses obsessed with making money and settling petty personal battles with rivals – even if it costs their customers’ lives. The issues that they say need solving are far from the important ones. Why are financing and subsidies being discussed when the deeper-rooted problem of people dying in and because of taxis persists?
As delegates and taxi operators sat at the conference, fresh reports oftaxi violenceandaccidentsfrom reckless and negligent drivers continued. Two deaths on Monday push the number of deaths from warring factions to well over 60 since the turn of the year. These issues have been on the government’s radar for decades, but those in power have grown tired of the situation and have instead called a ceasefire.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech at the conference discussed “de-risking” the industry but said nothing about the many thousands of lives lost as a result of poorly-maintained taxis, unlicensed drivers, unroadworthy vehicles, and warring associations that rule the roads. Another dimension of the problem is scholar transport fatalities. But even when permits to transport children were handed out recently, Gauteng MEC for transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela was a no-show. Instead of overseeing the vital handover, as would be expected of her, she sent her spokesperson, who was not able to provide the information or reassurances that were needed.
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