Uncedo taxi bosses ready to deal with unlawful elements
Five cars purchased, branded, to help clean up the town
Komani’s Uncedo Taxi Service Association has bought five cars worth R300,000 to begin patrols to cleanse the town of unlawful taxi operators and any form of misconduct concerning taxi rank operations.
Association chair Sandi Mgobo said the team, which will ensure operations run smoothly, received training on how to carry out their duties.
Mgobo said: “Prior to the official launch of the Komani intermodal taxi rank we committed to maintaining good working relations between the provincial government, Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality and the police.”
He said he had also made a commitment that the association would buy cars and brand them so that the public could recognise them and to prevent certain persons from tampering with the system.
“We want people to know that the cars are for the interest of the public.
“We do not want them to stir up fear when they are visible in town, but we want passengers to know that they are there to protect them.
“This is another way of demonstrating to the municipality and the community that we are determined to improve and advance the taxi industry in Komani,” Mgobo said.
However, not all things were running smoothly with EMLM.
Mgobo said the municipality still had not handed over the keys of the facility to the taxi operators and added that the association had reached an agreement with EMLM that taxi operations at the intermodal taxi rank would commerce on November 18.
“We were ready but the municipality was not because the keys were not given to us to make use of the office facilities at the rank.
“We have contacted the rank manager but he has not answered his phone, nor bothered to get back to us.
“We do not know what is happening because no-one communicates with us. We are operating the local side of the taxi rank, but the longdistance side is not operational.”
He said the taxi operators were not able to access the board room to discuss matters such as common rules on how the rank would work because the taxi drivers came from different stations.
This meant they had different ways of doing things.
At the time of print, EMLM spokesperson Zithulele Sigonyela had not responded on why the keys had not been handed over to the taxi owners.