‘Petrol price hike a slap in the face of the poor’

THE LOCAL taxi industry has labelled the latest fuel price hike as a “slap in the face of the poor voters who put the ruling party in power”.

The latest increase saw petrol rise by R1.27 while diesel went up by around 30 cents on March 1.

The fuel increases come at a tense time for the local taxi industry, which has been experiencing route-related clashes on a daily basis.

The Kimberley Local Taxi Association (KLTA) greeted the increase with frustration and they once again questioned the long-promised intervention from government for the industry to be subsidised.

The KLTA has, however, assured communities that there is no taxi fare increase on the cards yet.

The association pointed out that its operators are at risk of losing customers as they serve the already financially strapped.

The disciplinary chairperson of the KLTA, Moses Mofana, said that many of their members continue to be at risk of their taxis being impounded. That, according to Mofana, is due to the owners being unable to stick to their monthly instalments for the vehicles.

He added that they are losing customers because businesses are closing and people walk to their destinations in order to buy food, which is also expensive, he pointed out.

He stated that it was always a difficult decision for them to implement taxi fare increases, however, at the end of the day, they also have to be able to pay their monthly instalments.

“We will, however, communicate with the public whenever there is a possibility of a fare increase in order for them to know that we can no longer afford the petrol price.”