Solution must be found soon

IN A RADICAL move to curb the bloodshed which has tainted the taxi industry in recent years, authorities grounded taxis and banned them from operating on three major routes.

Tough talking Police Minister Bheki Cele jetted into Mthatha just days before the Easter weekend and closed the R61 between Mthatha and Port St Johns, the N2 between Mthatha and Tsolo and the R396 between Tsolo and Maclear routes to all taxis and shut down all ranks associated with these routes.

The drastic move was in response to ongoing violence between the Border Alliance Taxi Association and Uncedo Taxi Services Association, which has claimed dozens of lives in recent years. The ban was not only to give the warring associations time to reconcile and reach some sort of peace agreement, but to avoid a further loss of lives.

“The selfishness of the taxi industry must be cut down to zero. We cannot continue to count dead bodies like a taxi load,” the minister said on March 28. A government gazette was published shortly after the announcement prohibiting taxis from operating. However, for two weeks now, the Eastern Cape government has been unable to device a workable solution for how thousands of commuters who rely on taxis as their primary mode of transportation, will get to school, work or even home.

The ban, while not only impacting on the taxi industry and the local economy, has been a major inconvenience to users. With ranks closed, commuters have had to move to other streets where they can wait up to an hour or more for a taxi while others have had to walk home after work.

All the department of transport, which has been tasked with finding the solution, has said is that engagements “have not been fruitful”. It has been 16 days. It is evident that little – if any – thought has gone into how to manage the consequences of such a ban. While the authorities fumble and the taxi associations are still locked in talks, it is the people on the ground who have to bear the brunt of this incompetence.

The department last week relaxed the ban to allow scholar transport access to those routes, however, it did not include schoolgoing children who use public transport.

The Congress of South African Students in the OR Tambo district said many pupils have now been forced to walk to and from school, making them vulnerable to criminals. They threatened to march to the education offices next week if there is no solution by today.

Cele rightfully said that South Africa is not a Banana Republic and that we can no longer sit back and watch as fights over these routes claim lives. Unfortunately, it is not only the taxi owners, but also members of the public who have been brought to their knees. It is unclear how much longer the routes will remain shut or if there will be any resolution to the conflict between Bata and Uncedo. The government, which has until now failed its people, should get its act together. Getting tough on taxi violence is welcomed, but if this action brings further anguish to the very people it is meant to help, it is not an adequate solution.