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30 October 2008

Programme director
Members of the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality Mayoral Committee
Mayor of the Emthanjeni Local Municipality
Councillors present
Heads of regional government departments
Officials of Emthanjeni Municipality
Members of the Pixley Ka-Seme Regional Taxi Association present
Officials of the Department of Transport, Roads and Public Works
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

Since we came to office in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) government has embarked on the transformation of the taxi industry so that today we can rightly say that it is a key pillar in helping provide effective and good value public transport. Accompanying our desire to transform the taxi industry has been a tremendous upsurge in confidence that the taxi industry can deliver the goods.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we come to the penultimate event of our October Transport Month Programme, it is indeed a delight for us to be among the people of De Aar to open this new taxi rank. Our delight is chiefly propelled by the realisation of the commitment we made to the people of De Aar. To illustrate, we signed a service level agreement with Emthanjeni Municipality in which we committed ourselves to set aside a total amount of R2 million to assist the municipality with the construction of its new taxi rank. Indeed, what we see today is the consequence of that commitment.

The opening of this taxi rank will certainly ease the transport challenges experienced daily by the people of De Aar. Being the seat of the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality, we acknowledge the fact that De Aar is the hub of this region. Consequently, a public transport system that is conducive to the needs of our people is paramount.

Programme director, until today De Aar did not have a formal taxi rank; taxis generally conduct their business from the parking lot of a shopping centre. Certainly, this is a disruption to the users of the shopping centre as these taxis occupy the parking space there.

With this new taxi rank, taxis travelling long distance and local routes will be accommodated; there will be separate terminals for the different routes as well as sheltered seating for passengers to protect from the extreme weather conditions of the De Aar. Additionally, in our ongoing efforts to encourage local economic development, there will be lock up stalls to accommodate informal vendors, as well as office space that will be used for general administrative duties.

Ladies and gentlemen, as government, we acknowledge that public transport is a scarcity in the Northern Cape Province. As a result, our people struggle to access services of government because of this scarcity; some of our people even perish on our roads because of a lack of adequate public transport.
I'm sure everyone here will agree that without a safe and sustainable taxi industry, the country as a whole simply cannot meet its potential in terms of the economy growth. The taxi industry continues to play a crucial role in the growth of our economy. It links people and communities with local jobs and services, and it underpins the local economy that keeps the country plugged into the global economy.

Our major task is to ensure that the improvement of the taxi industry should reflect the economic and structural changes that are shaping our public transport system. Our strategy as government is underpinned by a strong desire to have an integrated public transport system that is driven by a strong desire to facilitate economic growth. We need a taxi industry that supports a strong economy, that puts the passenger first and one that meets our socio-economic objectives.

Programme director, I want to touch on the matter of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme, which has, to an extent, created confusion among our people. The Taxi Recapitalisation Programme came as a result of the concern that government had about the safety of millions of passengers who commute with taxis on a daily basis.

The programme was initiated to replace the current unsafe and ageing 16-seater taxi fleets with purpose built larger capacity and more comfortable new taxi vehicles. Because the safety of our passengers is our priority, we said these larger vehicles must have safety measures which include safety belts for all passengers in the vehicle.

The Taxi Recapitalisation Programme is an intervention by government to assist the taxi industry economically by providing a once off scrapping incentive of fifty thousand rand that can be used to offset the deposit on the purchase of the new and safer taxi vehicle, if the operator chooses to continue conducting a taxi business.
Government recognises the critical role played by the industry and shall endeavour to work together and closely with the taxi industry to ensure its growth and sustainability. The implementation of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme is a clear demonstration of this fact. The Taxi Recapitalisation Programme is not only about scrapping old taxi vehicles; it is also about the sustainability and effective regulation of the industry. It is a direct response to the recommendations of the national taxi task team to consider specific interventions to turn around the taxi industry.

To members of the taxi industry who are among us here today, I want to reassure you that the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme was not introduced to create animosity between you and government. All we say as government is that taxi vehicles on our roads must be roadworthy and be safe for our people.

I must mention, however, that I am happy with the progress of this programme in our province. To date, 220 old taxis have already been scrapped in the province, 1 168 old permits have been replaced with operating licences; 955 of these operating licences have already been uplifted by the respective operators and 213 still have to be uplifted.

Ladies and gentlemen, as I conclude, I need to emphasise that government is committed to working closely with the taxi industry in developing mechanisms aimed at retaining and sustaining the industry.

I also want to thank all the stakeholders in the transport industry for their unwavering support in the projects that seek to address the transport challenges in Northern Cape. Indeed we still have a long way to go but at all times we remember the commitment we made to better the lives of our people.

For us to better the lives of our people, we need the involvement of everyone, including community members. As government, we have initiated platforms such as izimbizo where communities can come up with ideas on how we can improve your lives.

As part of our Imbizo Focus Week, we will now depart for Richmond where we will have direct unmediated communication with the communities of Richmond.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Transport, Roads and Public Works, Northern Cape Provincial Government
30 October 2008