The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on transport to request an urgent meeting with the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, to give a clear and precise account of when Metrorail would be fully operational and when relief funding for the taxi industry would finally be implemented.
The Minister tried to sooth the qualms of the taxi industry when he mentioned considerations for a taxi relief fund.
Like all sectors of the South African economy, the taxi industry has been hit hard by the lockdown. And while the industry itself has moved fast to put its own measures in place to try and stay afloat, it has not benefited in any small measure from relief aid by the government.
With the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) failing to resume Metrorail commuter services, leaving thousands of commuters stranded – the taxi industry has had to pick up the slack. It can, therefore, come as no surprise to the Minister that taxi associations across Johannesburg are hiking prices to keep the wheels from falling off. It’s only a matter of time before various associations follow suit across the country and raise taxi fares.
Unfortunately, it is not the government that ends up paying the price for their incompetence. Poor South Africans will have to once again bear the brunt of the burden of the exorbitant hikes if they want to continue to earn a living.
With PRASA and Metrorail seemingly out for the count, the taxi industry is the sole competitor left. This would not have happened had PRASA not been burdened by incompetence and corruption, and had the Minister made an actual plan for relief in the taxi industry, instead of making throwaway comments.
The Minister has now picked a fight with taxi associations by referring the fare hikes to the Competition Commission. While the DA strongly opposes fare hikes at this time, the reality is that these increases lie squarely at the feet of Minister Mbalula, PRASA and Metrorail for their failure to ensure that commuter rail services were operational on 1 June.
PRASA has 2 227 km of rail but only less than 200 km has been said to be ready for 1 July, when commuter rail services are expected to begin operating. This further limits commuters’ options for affordable transport, and so allowing the taxi industry to create a stronghold.
The Minister must stop his pretence of caring about the commuters and start cleaning the mess.
South Africans have had their fill of empty promises. The Minister needs to step and show leadership and provide tangible solutions before the situation deteriorates further.
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