SPEECH BY THE KWAZULU-NATAL MEC OF TRANSPORT, MR S'BU NDEBELE, AT THE MIDLANDS REGION TAXI ASSOCIATION PRAYER MEETING

24 September 2001

Master of Ceremonies
His Worship Mayor Hloni Zondi
South African National Taxi Council First Deputy President, Mr CB Ngiba
Chairperson of the Midlands Region Taxi Association
KZN Transportation Director, Mr George Mahlalela
Staff from the KZN Department of Transport
Members of the Taxi fraternity
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great honour for me to be part of this special prayer meeting for the taxi industry. It is proper that this prayer meeting happens exactly during our National Heritage Day. The taxi industry is part and parcel of our national heritage. I have always said that the vast majority of South Africans use kombis and thus we are a kombi-nation resulting from a combination of efforts between the government on the one hand and you the taxi leaders on the other hand. This partnership needs to be applauded.

I want to congratulate the Pietermaritzburg Region Taxi Association for organising this prayer meeting. There are many similarities between the politics of the taxi industry and the politics of our country. The most common similarity has been that of violence which engulfed both our country and the taxi industry. Another striking similarity is the transition from violence to unity as displayed by the taxi conference last week and as displayed by the general elections in 1994. These similarities offer the best explanation for why we are gathered here today.

When we took over Government in 1994 and I became the KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Transport, you, the taxi industry, were very clear on what you wanted from the Government. You communicated to us in very clear language the following expectations:

1. You said you wanted an end to violence. You were tired spilling blood. You wanted an end to the carnage that had left behind widows and orphans and sometimes claimed the lives of innocent commuters. As government we said we would do our best to assist you to achieve peace and stability within your industry.

2. You said you wanted to operate your business within a legalised framework. You told us you were tired of being treated like criminals. We told you as government that we would be willing to work with you to create a framework within which you could operate your business legally.

3. You also said you wanted economic empowerment from the Government. You told us how your businesses were struggling to show a profit. You told us your suppliers were reaping you off. We saw for ourselves you were paying for financing your vehicles; for insuring your vehicles and for servicing your vehicles.

These were your main concerns when we first spoke to you in the years 1994 - 1995. In a sense you hit the nail on the head. We as the Government put the ball on your court by saying you have to democratise first, that you have to organise yourselves in order to be formalised and legalised.

We have come a long way in our partnership. The government has listened to your expectations and since 1994 we have experienced both setbacks and successes in our partnership. The maturity of the taxi industry culminated in the National Taxi Conference, which was held in Durban last week. The formation of the South African National Taxi Council last week opened a new chapter in the history of transport in this country because the taxi industry will speak with one voice.

I think it is important to cite a few resolutions reached at that meeting. It is with great pleasure that the conference resolved to adopt the draft constitution as a legal guiding document for the taxi industry. It was also resolved that the taxi industry must engage in joint ventures with other private sector companies in areas like advertising, etc. Other important resolutions include the retirement benefits, access to medical aid, funeral schemes and empowerment.

The conference also identified the need for the taxi industry to diversify to other business enterprises such as tourism and other forms of transportation. The partnership between the government and the taxi industry was further emphasised.

However, our partnership has never been an easy one. Certain voices and forces have sought to undermine our progress in this regard. The elements within the taxi industry who are opposed to this process have been benefiting from the chaos and instability engulfing the industry. They are opposed to both restructuring and peace within the taxi industry because they benefit from violence.

The other group is also to be found within the private sector. This desperate group is opposed to the empowerment of the taxi industry as a whole and are against recapitalisation, which is the core of the Government's strategy to empower the taxi industry. The recapitalisation drive is about the empowerment of the taxi industry in terms of resource and skills transfer. It is clear that a by-product of this process is an end of the exploitation of the taxi industry. Hence such a hostile attitude from some of the private sector elements.

The other group opposed to the formalisation and restructuring of the taxi industry consists of the remnants of Apartheid. These counter-revolutionary forces, as Dr Blade Nzimande, General Secretary of the SACP referred to after the ambush of the eastern Cape delegates on 16 September last week have a far broader agenda than merely destabilising the taxi industry. Theirs is to revive the ideological apparatuses of the former apartheid regime, which in the case of public transport manifests itself in chaos and instability.

The last group consists of individuals within certain sections of the media, which is landlocked in the laager of the distant past. In their dreams they want to see an end to the taxi industry. They are destructively critical of every government initiative geared towards the empowerment of the taxi industry. Their coverage of issues regarding the taxi process has always been based on negative reporting. There is an extremely limited coverage of players who support the recapitalisation of the taxi industry. I think it is necessary at this point to illustrate by pointing certain concrete examples.

Last week, a journalist from an English newspaper, Sunday Tribune, exhibited this kind of gutter journalism by deliberately omitting significant policy statements and brilliant observations made by the Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, in his speech. The Deputy President made significant remarks on the strides made by the government and the taxi industry over the past six years. In addition to the speech made by the Deputy President, various speakers including the National Minister of Transport, Mr Dullah Omar, and the National Interim Leadership Team of the taxi industry, critically looked at the past and identified challenges facing all of us.

All these speeches set the scene for an intensive and an engaging conference, which produced path-breaking resolutions. Yet all these statements are insignificant to the said newspaper and its journalist. However, it is heartening to note that some newspapers did tackle some of the issues the conference grappled with.

There are many positive and encouraging developments that the public needs to know with regards to the partnership between the government and the taxi industry. We have made major strides especially here in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that peace becomes part of the tradition within the taxi industry. For instance the long distance conflict has been successfully resolved and last week's national conference came long after the long distance conflict had been resolved.

The government is not just focusing its attention on physical conflict alone. We are also involved in a war against HIV/AIDS. People use transport on daily basis and we in the transport sector have always been active in combating the spread of AIDS. On May 2001, the KZN Departments of Transport and Health came together in a joint venture on an AIDS Awareness campaign targeting the taxi industry in particular. Our road shows became very successful because of the enthusiasm of the people from the taxi industry.

In the final analysis, it is my fervent hope that as we all make our prayers for the taxi industry today. We must always lead by example, individually as persons and collectively as a group. The taxi industry is a new industry, though not a young one. My daily prayers are with this industry. Since I came to office in 1994, I have always wished to see this industry booming. People have laid down their lives to ensure that we become free even economically. But this could not happen in the midst of disunity. Today we are all united as the children of God to pray for unity in the taxi industry. It is said that unity is strength. King Shaka's great ambition was to see Africans united. King Cetshwayo had the same dream. Our King, His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu never misses an opportunity to encourage unity among us.

As you go back home please drive safely, walk safely and let your hearts and minds meditate good things.

I want to thank all of you for this very wise idea of a prayer meeting in which we put our faith to the "Force Beyond".

I thank you.

back