YESTERDAY, Roads and Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo provided an update on the vetting of taxis currently underway.
Speaking at the Derek Masoek Conference Centre in Joburg, he said only certified taxis would be allowed to operate on the re-opened Soweto routes.
In March, former transport MEC Ismail Vadi shut down routes belonging to the Nancefield Dube West and Witwatersrand taxi associations due to violent clashes.
The associations recently signed a peace treaty. They agreed to work together and divide the business fairly.
Mamabolo said only 108 taxis had completed the checking process. “So far we’ve rejected more than 80 taxis that failed to meet the requirements,” he said. The procedure will be completed once 200 taxis from both associations were certified.
“We plan to roll out the process within three months,” said Mamabolo. He told Daily Sun he was waiting for the associations to tell them how much money was lost during the closures.
Wits association’s spokesman Mandlenkosi Maphalala said only their drivers had been verified with stickers. He said they had lost a lot of money.
United Taxi Association Front spokesman Sipho Nkwanyana said the associations were capable of generating more than a R1 billion from the taxi industry.
“We estimate the two associations might have lost approximately R72 million in the past three months,” he said.
