KTVR Bus Service, with the Ekurhuleni Taxi Industry (ETI), hosted a women’s conference against gender-based violence (GBV) at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre on December 14.
Tebogo Modise, KTVR marketing manager, explained ETI is an umbrella organisation of all local taxi associations affiliated with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and the National Taxi Alliance in the City of Ekurhuleni.
“Both KTVR and ETI hosted this conference to add their voices to the many of individuals and organisations who are demanding an end to GBV. Our industry is not immune to GBV and we call upon our taxi operators, taxi drivers, bus drivers and all other officials working in our industry to not perpetuate the scourge of GBV against women and children, in particular, or anyone else,” he said.
Modise highlighted the conference was attended by 150 female taxi operators in Ekurhuleni, Santaco Regional Executive Committee and its gender desk office, National Taxi Alliance leadership, City of Ekurhuleni and the Harambee BRT Project Management Unit.
“All speakers on the day shared with the delegates their own experiences of GBV and encouraged everyone to speak out against this scourge. The executive chairperson of KTVR, Dr MK Mtshali, committed that both KTVR and ETI will from now on host this conference annually during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children abuse and that the next conference will also be attended by men from the industry so they can also be spoken to about perpetrating GBV.
“The conference pledged and declared that GBV will not be allowed to take place in our industry or households. Any act of violence against women and children, in particular, must be called out and if found to have been committed by any of our industry members, we will not hesitate to act against them and could even be expelled from the industry.
