South African Local and Long-Distance Taxi and Bus organisation officially announced that Mr Joe Sibanyoni known as Ferrari the newly appointed president of the organisation.
The event was held at Maslow Time square hotel in Menlyn on Wednesday night.
Mr Sibanyoni takes over the leadership of the organisation from the late Jotham Msibi who died early this year.
Mr Sibanyoni was elected as president of South African Local and Long-Distance Taxi and Bus organisation this year.
He was appointed by the members of the organisation for the good roles he played over the years for his good leadership skills and experience he has in the field.
The organisation started by holding general annual meeting, where the outgoing leadership report on progress made in their organisational objectives of late and later the event ended the night with the elegent gala dinner where they announce the newly elected president Mr Joe Ferrari Sibanyoni.
South African Local and Long-Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation (Salldtbo) is a federal structure that has been running for more than 40 years and it is one of the structures that formed SANTACO.
There were different taxi associations across the country like Topica members, SANTACO members and business partners from Bathathu, Zola taxi and celebrity guests, comedian Mpho Molepo, Bra Thabiso and Mavusana Vhoo.
There was a performance by Dj AB Da Costa, Tebogo Moloi, Dimakatso Lee, Cacius and Nini.
“I was approached by the elders of the organisation to take over the baton of taking the organisation forward,” said Mr Sibanyoni in his address to taxi industry members gathered at a gala dinner in Menlyn.
“My election as president of the organisation comes in the week where I was celebrating my 58th birthday,” said Mr Sibanyoni as he revealed that he is a member of the ZCC.
“I lead from the front, I am not a mickey mouse leader and SALLDTBO must hold annual conferences to show that we are a legitimate structure,” he said.
Before announcing his executive committee, Mr Sibanyoni made it clear that though SALLDTBO is not an autocratic organisation, he is in charge.
“I don’t need a deputy president as a deputy will at some point in time will ask me as to when it will be his time to take over the leadership of the organisation,” said Mr Sibanyoni much to the laughter of those in attendance.
Mr Sibanyoni revealed that he was taking over from a person who has been in charge of the organsation for over 27 years.
“I have a committee which will help me when I go astray and I don’t need an outsider to help me because I have 39 years’ experience in the taxi industry,” said Mr Sibanyoni.
“I will open a 24-hour hotline number for the commuters to lodge their complain and no nonsense will happen under my watch.
I promised I will listen to my elders of the association and if I need advice, I will consult them first and my doors is always open as I’m the leader and I’m on the ground a brighter future for the taxi industry and bring good changes,” he said.
Mr Sibanyoni revealed that he became a taxi driver in 1985; and had never imagined that one day he would be leader of a massive organisation like SALLDTBO.
He also calls for the price of vehicle to go down and plan to sit down with the business partners who are selling vehicles.
“Let us do away with the culture of using guns in the industry,” he said.
“It is funny that a taxi owner is prepared to fork out R10 000 to hire a hit man to kill another person, but he can’t fork out R6000 to purchase tyres for his taxis,” he said.
“Let us unite the taxi industry so that it would be easy for our kids to run this industry in the future,” said Mr Sibanyoni.
He pointed out that taxi owners don’t have money, but they move around with bodyguards while rich people like Rupert and Motsepe move around freely accompanied only by a driver.
He said taxi drivers use around half a million rand a month to pay bodyguards and this shows that there is something wrong with taxi owners.
I want to see this industry become a gun free area.
The past few years of coaction are gone and I’m calling for an end to violence in the taxi industry, and pleading for peace, unity and working together and solve issues at the board room not in the street with guns,” said Mr Sibanyoni addressing members of taxi industry.
Former Gauteng SANTACO chairperson Mr Buti Johannes Mkhonza emphasised that leaders must not produce followers but must produce leaders.
“Leaders must have empathy and resilience to bounce back from setbacks that they have suffered,” he said.
Mkhonza said leaders must have ability to lead to listen to members need to have empathy to the members and assist their members.
“Good leaders transform members.
We must have good leaders who are able to transform members and who are making sure their members become better,” he said.
Veterans Motubatse Makgeru told Tshwane Talks that he has been in the taxi industry since 1983 and that the election of Mr Joe Sibanyoni as president of SALLDTBO is a new dawn as he is the most experienced person in the administration of the taxi industry.
“We worked well with Mr Sibanyoni, and he has good leadership skills and the experience, and our doors are always open for him if he needs advice from us elders of the organisation.
We believe and trust him that he will take this organisation far and he knows the in and out of this industry,” said Veterans Ranape Masemola.