Taxis can't have ranks everywhere and anywhere: Joburg mayor Dada Morero

Joburg mayor Dada Morero says the city is congested with illegal minibus taxi ranks and that the problem needs to be addressed.

Speaking at Lillian Ngoyi Street, which was supposed to be reopened on Monday after a gas explosion two years ago, Morero said taxis could not just open ranks anywhere they wanted.

“I want to ask the taxi associations to deal with illegal ranks in the city. We can’t have the ranks just being established everywhere,” said Morero. 

The chair of the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance in Joburg, Sabelo Moya, said the illegal ranks that were being established were due to challenges such as failing infrastructure.

I want to ask the taxi associations to deal with illegal ranks in the city. We can’t have them being established everywhere

—  Joburg mayor Dada Morero

“We’ have challenges because, number one, even the existing ranks are not conducive to use. Some are shaky, some have potholes.” 

Regarding the opening of the Johannesburg International Transport Interchange — designed to serve as a major node for long-distance and cross-border transport, with terminals for buses and taxis — Morero said: “Unfortunately, there are still some challenges between the long-distance [taxis] and the City of Johannesburg. So maybe that’s why there’s still a delay.

However, Moya said: “The interchange has been standing for more than four years now. Unfortunately, I’m not part of it, so I don’t know what’s the progress there. Yes, it will help us because if you go through Sauer Street [now Pixley ka Seme], especially in the morning, there’s chaos. So at least if they can open it, there will be a little bit of decongestion.”

Moya said the city should not have been in a rush to announce the reopening of Lillian Ngoyi Street as it was not yet complete.

“From what I have seen, there’s absolutely no parking there now. There’s just places where taxis can load and offload and then move. That’s what I saw. And the drainage system is not done yet, even the paving. There’s still some loose paving there.”

The city had billed the reopening of the road to happen on Monday but postponed it to September 12, saying the work was not yet complete.

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