Gauteng MEC for transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela and taxi industry bosses show happy face photo by Dimakatso Modipa
The much-feared shutdown that was announced by taxi industry bosses in Gauteng earlier this week has now been suspended.
This after MEC for Transport in Gauteng Kedibone Diale-Tlabela met with the Gauteng taxi bosses in Koedoespoort, Tshwane on Thursday.
Taxi organisations that are at loggerheads with MEC Diale-Tlabela are SANTACO Gauteng and GNTA.
Some of the issues that have caused a rift between the MEC and the taxi bosses are the MEC’s tendency to directly interact with local taxi associations instead of consulting taxi industry representative structures like SANTACO Gauteng and GNTA; the continuous impounding of taxis operating without permits as well as lack of subsidy by the government on the taxi industry.
At a media briefing held after the meeting between Diale-Tlabela and the taxi bosses, Tlabela said the following:
“We are happy to announce that we held a meeting early this morning with SANTACO and GNTA; we have found each other and we have agreed that we must have a full-day session so that we give each other reports regarding the tasks each of us have been doing so as to make sure that we make evidence-based decisions.”
She said “there is no need for a shutdown by the taxi industry because we have now identified issues that have made us fight each other.”
SANTACO Gauteng Chairperson Midday Mali said the following:
“We have found each other; we have identified challenges facing the government as well as challenges facing the taxi industry and we have both resolved to work tirelessly together sort out issues causing tension between us.”
GNTA chairperson Mpho Motsepe said “we are suspending the shutdown pending the meeting that we will have with the MEC; all that we needed as the taxi industry was to sit around the table with the MEC and we are saying that we are open to govermnent to come up with initiatives that will improve us as the taxi industry.”
He further said members of the taxi industry are not bullies but are people who don’t want the industry to die.
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