 
SPEECH BY KZN MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, S'BU NDEBELE AT THE TAXI INDUSTRY PRAYER MEETING1 December 1999, Empangeni
Mr Premier We in KwaZulu-Natal have seen war. We have seen war in the countryside and we have seen war in the townships. We have seen blood running from the wounded. We have seen men and women coughing their guts out. We have seen the dead in the mud and burnt out huts. We have seen villages and informal settlements destroyed. It is for this reason that you have heard the leaders of the ANC and IFP - through their Presidents and other leaders from Pretoria and Thokoza, from Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi beginning and ending their speeches with these three words, "We Hate War". In our province processes are being put in motion to turn this solemn commitment into reality so that all our people can feel, touch and smell peace - not only as an absence of war but because conditions for a return to conflict will have been eliminated. But we do not hate war only if it is between ANC and IFP or between Black and White. War and killing does something to a human being. We have seen the widespread involvement of U.S. Veterans from Vietnam in violent crime. We have not worked so hard to end political violence only to have it transferred to the Taxi industry. Our meeting here today to meditate upon peace - peace in the taxi industry, and peace on our roads - is a visible sign that the taxi industry we have in KZN is ready for the new millennium. We all know by now the ugly events that took place here at Empangeni on the 4th of November when eleven people were massacred at the taxi rank shortly after 12h00 mid-day. All sorts of weapons of war were used. The cause of this bloody conflict was ostensibly a dispute over routes. Empangeni is not a new settlement and the same taxis had been using those routes for more than 20 years. What would then spur people to such violence all of a sudden? After more than 15 minutes of firing 11 people were dead including innocent people going about their normal business. Now this cannot be allowed to go on. The bloody images we saw on our televisions called upon all of us to refocus our energies towards swift action. In consultation with my colleagues at all levels of government, I imposed a ban on any movement of any taxi to and from Empangeni as of that Thursday evening. This affected some 18 Taxi associations. It was not an easy decision particularly because we regard Empangeni as the most stable and disciplined and peaceful taxi industry. After the ban I instructed our Conflict Resolution Committee to start a dialogue with who ever would contribute to normalisation of the situation. They were all required to commit themselves that they will use legal means to resolve whatever problems they might have. Such a commitment from the Associations helped to calm the situation. With the support of the SAPS and SADF the ban was total and effective. It demonstrated to ordinary people, Who have become helpless victims of violence, that their lives have value and it is possible to do something about lawlessness. This firmness made talks possible and fruitful. We were thus able to announce the lifting of the ban and on the 8th November taxis again became operational with the remaining Esikhawini route opened a week later. A Task team lead by Mr George Negota, Chair of the Cross Border Transport Agency has started its work to establish the factors that might have led to this terrible event. But the KZN Cabinet took a further decision to appoint a Judicial Commission to the whole incidence of taxi violence in the province. This is most welcome and might end up being the TRC of the industry. Amongst other powers the Commission will have the power to subpoena and initiate criminal action against perpetrators of violence. The terms of reference of the Commission will be the following:
We believe such an investigation will assist us to get to the bottom of the violent conflicts still prevalent in some associations. The setting up of the Commission is being finalised with the Judge President and will be submitted to the provincial Cabinet shortly for concurrence. We are also involved in serious discussions with the various components of criminal justice system, particularly the management of the SAPS and Justice department to develop an effective strategy to root out bad elements who are continuously tarnishing the image of the taxi industry. The aim of these discussions are to ensure that a special unit of Scorpions is put together to deal specifically with this problem. Their effectiveness in dealing with such problems is being felt already in some parts of the province. The Department of Transport is committed to a holistic approach to the development of the taxi industry. the key elements of the strategy is the creation of democratic structures, economic development and the regulation of the taxi industry which will underpin its revival. Taxi Recapitalisation Government as a whole has developed a R3 billion strategy to deal with the economic challenges facing the taxi industry in South Africa. It is referred to as the Taxi Capitalisation Programme. The taxi recapitalisation process is a viable way of getting rid of old, un-roadworthy death-traps and replacing them with technology driven vehicles that will put safety first. This will be done according to three criteria: Umthombo is recognised as part of the solution in practically realising the recapitalisation programme. This is an important boost for our provincial initiative and will contribute immensely to the growth of the provincial economy and the growth of provincial transportation sector. The process is well underway to achieve the objectives we have set ourselves with the industry when we started the process four years ago. Democratisation of the taxi industry As we work together to create a safer, more profitable taxi industry, we know that significant re-ordering is needed in the taxi industry to ensure accountability, profitability and democratic processes. To this end we are supporting the taxi industry in the creation of democratic associations, accountable to their members and the communities that they serve. This will ensure that decisions taken at a local and regional taxi association level enjoy the support of all operators in the province. KZN-DOT has therefore initiated a programme of reconstituting associations through an election process. The Department of Transport has already finalised a standard constitution, which each association will adopt and will be the basis for the re-election of constituent structures within the industry. New structures will be put in place from association level up to provincial structures -this will be completed by the end of February. The constitution is aimed at ensuring that associations are run in a democratic and transparent manner. It is covering the following areas: It is heartening to note that the industry in the province is welcoming these developments and are gearing themselves to participate in this path-breaking exercise. We will make sure from our side that such an exercise will be conducted in a free and fair manner free of any form of intimidation from those who are threatened by a democratic environment. Conclusion In conclusion, I thank all that have committed to a new creed of peace and prosperity for the taxi industry for the new millennium. May peace be the driver this December, and through the twenty first century. I remind all here that today is World Aids Day and the theme of this is Listen, Learn, Live. Let us commit to each playing whatever part we can in creating an AIDS free future for KZN. I thank you.
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