Operation Shanela

The Minibus Taxi Industry in KwaZulu-Natal

The minibus taxi industry in South Africa has by far the largest market share in public transport. Despite all the difficulties that continue to plague the minibus taxi industry, there is evidence to show that the industry is increasing its market share against all other modes of transport.

Despite its turbulent history and the fact that during apartheid it was unregulated, the minibus taxi industry is today the most critical pillar of our public transport sector. Not only is it the most available mode of transport, it is also the most affordable to the public.

Government has therefore taken considerable steps to regulate the minibus taxi industry in the best interests of public safety and to transform it into a more profitable business in which income is derived from a wider basket of income generating enterprises and not just fares.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has now completed the democratisation process: 252 Taxi Associations now have properly elected office bearers. These have, in turn, been organized into 16 Regional Taxi Councils who, in turn, elected the Provincial Taxi Council. The South African Taxi Council has also been duly elected.

The most widely publicised and certainly the most ambitious Government intervention in the minibus taxi industry has been the recapitalisation programme. The Kwazulu-Natal Department of Transport has been heavily involved in the taxi recapitalisation process. We expect that the successful tender will be announced shortly and that production of minibus taxis, specifically designed for passenger safety and comfort, will begin shortly.

After many frustrating years of efforts to end taxi violence in KwaZulu-Natal, Cabinet appointed a Judicial Commission of inquiry into taxi violence and related matters. The Commission, which was established in May 2000 and chaired by Judge Gerald Alexander, submitted its initial findings and recommendations on 24 February 2001.

The Commission enjoyed full powers to deal with all aspects of taxi violence. It was tasked with ensuring that those taxi operators, drivers and their associations who are involved in taxi violence and other criminal activities be arrested and prosecuted. To this end the Commission is linked to the Special Projects Prosecutions Unit and to a Special Police Investigative Unit.

The Commission’s brief was not only to cleanse the taxi industry of all criminal elements, which are responsible for a wide range of problems, but also to investigate the structural causes of taxi violence. In this sense the Commission acted as the TRC of the taxi industry in Kwazulu-Natal in its attempts to understand why violence exists, what form it takes and who is behind the violence.

The Commission has made several valuable recommendations some of which have already been implemented.

The adoption of this Road to Safety 2001 – 2005 has introduced a wide range of programmes, which we believe will make public and private transport safer.

back