Fare increase fuels anger
Taxi owners and residents to meet as protest suspended
TWO rand might not sound like a lot of money, but for fatherof-seven Nkosinathi Shangase it comes down to being able to put food on the table.
Shangase, 42, is a resident of KwaMakhutha township, south of Durban, where the threat of a R2 taxi fare hike brought hundreds onto the streets in protest earlier this week, bringing the area to a standstill.
Education is a priority in the Shangase household, and with two of the family’s children – aged 6 and 8 – relying on taxis to get to school in Isipingo, the hike means less money to spare for food.
“The R2 goes towards bread and milk,” said Shangase. “Now that the money has to go towards transport. What are my children going to eat?
“I don’t work, but earn a living by collecting rent from my tenants. That is the only way I make ends meet,” he said.
More than 100 people barricaded the main road and taxi route in the township with burning tyres, rocks, bricks and branches.
Residents said they were angry that they were not given notice of the planned hike until last week.
Protesters stoned taxis that tried to drive through the barricade and instructed other vehicles to turn around.
Yesterday, Musa Ntuli, of the KwaMakhutha Taxi Association, confirmed that their members had suspended the increase and would be meeting with representatives of the community today for talks to try to settle the matter.
Township residents were taken by surprise last week when they saw notices advertising the fare hike stuck on taxi windows. “Before those notices there was no formal warning,” said Shangase.
He questioned how fares could be increased in the same week that petrol prices were due to go down by 55c.
According to the notice, the fare for a KwaMakhutha taxi to the Durban CBD will increase from R11 to R13 and the journey from KwaMakhutha to Isipingo goes up from R8 to R10.
Local fares increase by R1, from R4 to R5.
“The unemployment rate is high in this area and there are many pensioners. Many people struggle to afford fares,” Shangase said.
“They (taxi bosses) did not want us to have other modes of transport (like buses) and they are doing this because they know that we don’t have other means of moving around.
“We will not allow this to happen. We understand that fares need to increase, but it cannot be this high. It’s wrong and totally unacceptable. ”
Ntuli said the association was committed to resolving the dispute amicably with residents but insisted that the proposed increase had little to do with the petrol price.
Taxi owners were facing rising maintenance, service and parts bills for their vehicles.
In addition, the last increase in fares had been in 2010, by R1.
Metro police officers were stationed at other parts of KwaMakhutha this week.
Earlier in the week, about 400 people from Umbumbulu, south of Durban, took to the streets to protest against a proposed increase in taxi fares.
Forty-five people appeared in the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for public violence and damage to property.
KZN police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said 17 people were released on a warning and 28 granted bail of R500. The case was postponed until June 29.
Last night, Mdunge said the situation in Umbumbulu was calm but the police were still monitoring the area.