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11 Jun 2012

Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe has congratulated a Bushbuckridge Taxi Driver, Shane Mashaba for winning in the Brandhouse Number 1 Taxi Driver Competition for the 2012.

The winners for various categories were announced during a national finalist prize giving ceremony held in Boksburg on Thursday, 7 June 2012.

Mashaba, who hails from Dwarsloop in Bushbuckridge, won in the category of the Best Taxi Driver as voted by the commuters.

He has won a Toyota Quantum mini-bus sponsored by Toyota as well as a service for the vehicle for period of two years.

Extending his appreciation to Mashaba, Shongwe said even those who did not win at national level represented the province well and he believes that they have learnt a lot during the competition to enable them to safely operate their taxis.

“The competition is not only about wining and walking away with prizes, it is about making our taxi drivers profitable while also encouraging and teaching to operate their vehicles safely for the benefit of millions of South Africans who are using public transport facilities.

"It is not only the responsibility of government to create safer roads but all sectors must assist hence Brandhouse and other sponsors deemed it fit to sponsor the competition,” the MEC said.

The MEC said that he believes the competition will go a long way to instill safe driving habits among taxi drivers as they transport many people and that is why when they are involved in accidents there are many casualties.

He said that regardless of how good government policies may be or how much the government improves road infrastructure, safer travelling would not be realised until motorists change their attititudes on the road.

The Number 1 Taxi Driver campaign seeks to enhance safe driving skills among taxi drivers drawn from all nine provinces.

Western Cape produced two winners while one winner was from KwaZulu-Natal. All the three winners each walked away with Toyota Quantum mini-busses, Caltex Petroleum sponsorship for fuel worth R50 000.

Issued by: Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison
11 Jun 2012

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