MEDIA STATEMENT

KZN MEC FOR TRANSPORT, COMMUNITY SAFETY & LIAISON MR. BHEKI CELE ANNOUNCES THE OUTCOME OF THE TRIBUNAL ON THE MPUMALANGA AND PINETOWN TAXI ASSOCIATIONS – MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2005

1. Both Mpumalanga Taxi Association and Pinetown Taxi Owners Association are properly registered in terms of the KwaZulu – Natal Interim minibus taxi act of 1998.

2. They both possess valid permits to operate the route between Mpumalanga and Pinetown issued to them in terms of the Road Transportation act of 1977.

3. Both associations have admitted being involved in the taxi violence or war which has taken lives of many innocent citizens of the Province of the KwaZulu Natal.

4. That an appeal has been made from all stake – holders, being the MEC for Transport Community Safety and Liaison, SAPS and other law enforcement agencies to the associations to stop violence and observe the process of the law.

5. That both Associations have refused to allow each other to operate in terms of their respective legal permits and have vowed to continue with the violence should they be required to observe each association’s legal rights to operate in terms of their permits.

6. Both associations are in breach of the law and have declared their intentions to continue doing so even in instances where their routes do not overlap.

7. Both associations have not complied with a condition to submit detailed description of the routes they have registered for within a period of six months after the date of issue.

8. The violence have been going on for more than thirty years and many people have died in the process.

9. The tribunal appointed by the MEC for Transport and Safety and Liaison in terms of Regulation 2 of the Regulations promulgated under the Interim Minibus Taxi Act of 1998 dated 28 August 2000 to resolve the dispute hereby rules as follows.

10. The office of the registrar is directed to issue a notice suspending registration of both Mpumalanga Taxi Association and Pinetown Owners Taxi Association for a period of not less than three months.

11. The Local road Transportation Board is directed to suspend all operations and the public road carrier permits issued to individual members of both Mpumalanga Taxi Association and Pinetown Owners taxi Association for a period of not less than three months.

12. The suspension referred to in paragraph 9, 10 and 11 above should be uplifted after a period of three moths or earlier provided the associations comply with the following conditions:

Both Associations sign an undertaking in the following terms but not limited to:

• That the associations acknowledge and respect that both associations are legally registered with the office of the Registrar and have been issued wit6h the legal permits by the Road Transportation Board and consequently they are both entitled to operate the routes between Mpumalanga, Pinetown and Westmead.

• That should any of the above two Associations disagree or be aggrieved with the registration or any issue regarding permits of either association they will approach the court and follow legal processes or to challenge the registration with the registrar or the issue of permits by the Board.

• They will respect processes of the law if any of their legal challenges are not successful and they will allow either of them to operate within the parameters of their permits but should any of the associations operate outside the prescribed route, the aggrieved association will have recourse to the prescribed processes of the law. It is declared that neither party shall resort to "self-help" by taking the law into their own hands.

• Should any of the above conditions not be met within a period of three months or either party commits a breach of the undertaking referred to above, the Registrar is directed to deregister such defaulting association permanently on the basis of non – compliance with the undertaking.

13. They provide the office of the Local Road Transportation Board with the full description of the routes operated by the Associations.

14. The Registrar and the Local Road Transportation Board should work with all the enforcement agencies to implement this ruling.

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