Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba made a joke that he almost lost his tongue when a taxi driver cut in front of him in Joburg.
Makgoba said this during The Last Word on eNCA when he was asked by Shahan Ramkissoon if he sometimes felt tempted to swear.
As light as this moment was, it tells you even the ones perceived as godly among us struggle to comprehend the behaviour of taxi drivers, particularly in Gauteng.
It also tells you the sector is still viewed in a negative light. That is not unduly. Particularly in Gauteng, the taxi industry is known for bad driving, lawlessness and violent strikes.
Earlier this month, Gauteng transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela shut down taxi operations between some parts of Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD after a resurgence of violence between NancefieldDube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe) and Witwatersrand Taxi Association (Wata) to make alternative transport arrangements.
It has to be formalised for those who use minibus taxis to benefit from government subsidy. Formalisation can also enable taxi drivers to have formal employment contracts that will introduce standardised working conditions and salaries.
The move by the MEC left thousands of commuters stranded as they now had to find alternative transport to commute between work and home.
While this drama unfolds, most people have forgotten that then transport minister Fikile Mbalula started a move aimed at modernising the taxi industry in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The tone coming from the minister of transport was very clear — that government had resolved to formalise the taxi industry.
The move was celebrated by academics and the public as it would lead to taxi commuters getting a subsidy from government. Government started engaging the taxi industry, industry players and civil society to ultimately start a process that would lead to the formalisation of the taxi industry.
Among the biggest tasks the government faced was to get the two biggest taxi formations — National Taxi Alliance (NTA) and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) — in one room and make them agree on the process.
In October 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa virtually addressed the first taxi lekgotla, which was held at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, an indicator that the formalisation of the sector had the backing of government.
At the venue, the Santaco was well represented while the NTA rejected the conference, citing bias on the part of government.
Since then very little has happened from government to ensure the taxi industry gets formalised. Research has proved that in SA, most people use public transport to commute between their homes and places of work. The mode of transport differs from one city to another. While there can be differences in modes, the taxi industry remains plays a huge role in transporting people to work daily.
It has to be formalised for those who use minibus taxis to benefit from the government subsidy. Formalisation can also enable taxi drivers to have formal employment contracts that will introduce standardised working conditions and salaries. On the other hand, when modernised, taxis will finally get to use cashless systems for payments.
Experience has shown there is an appetite from the taxi industry to get formalised because in the current set-up of taxi associations, operating licences and routes, owners don't get a full return on their investment.
The NTA has already started negotiating with private partners to introduce a cashless system within its association. The same association has worked with a private partner to launch an e-hailing service called Shesha this month.
These are clear indications there is some desire to improve the service offering from within the industry. All that is needed is for government to expedite the formalisation of the whole sector, which will benefit the economy and the black community.
After taking power in 1994, the ruling party made many interventions to transform the economy, but for some reason, the taxi industry was not part of that strategy. This stance was shockingly held by the apartheid government, which did not properly regulate the sector and allowed lawlessness to surge.
As there is a milestone missing in the ruling party’s ticked boxes, it is the modernisation of the taxi industry, and there is no excuse that government can give for not achieving this after 30 years in power.
The process initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic should continue and let all the stakeholders come back to the table and rid the sector of informality.
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