HEAD of the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA), Thami Manyathi, speaking at the GO!Durban project media briefing on Thursday, 19 November said the Pinetown rank on Anderson Road is a mess.
“I knew the rank was congested but I didn’t know it was in the state that it is,” he said.
Manyathi said that the GO!Durban project will help decongest the rank as there will be fewer taxis when the project is in operation. He believes he has a brilliant idea to reduce the heavy traffic in the rank and for those that drive past.
“When I looked at the area, I saw that there are many buildings which don’t utilise their roofs. I believe we can use those roof-tops as holding ranks for the minibuses,” said Manyathi.
He said that this will help as minibuses will only go to the ranks to collect people instead of parking there the whole day while waiting for people.
This is not the only way that the taxi industry will be affected. Deputy head of ETA, Mlungisi Wosiyala, said not all the 112 taxi associations in eThekwini would be affected by the project.
“Some operators may have to upgrade their skills. We are doing a skills audit to determine this. We will try to ensure there are no job losses,” he said.
He said affected operators can opt for a pay-out for withdrawal of their operating licence or they can form companies that will be contracted to provide the services on affected routes. In return for the bus operating contracts, the affected operators will be required to withdraw their vehicles on that particularly affected route.
The briefing also revealed that significant progress had been made with the project, which is set to revolutionise the public transport system in eThekwini.
Mayor, Cllr James Nxumalo, was on site in Pinetown before the media briefing and he said he was impressed with the work done thus far.
“The project is moving along. However, we need to maximise employment opportunities at both sites for the youth. This is a legacy project for the city,” he said.
These projects have created 10 454 job opportunities.
“Pinetown will never be the same again; the daily experiences of people of Durban will be changed forever,” said Tozi Mthethwa, the city’s head of communications.
At the KwaMashu/Pinetown corridor, bulk earthworks and excavations have been completed through the majority of the route with good progress made on bridges and a 1.3 kilometres of right-of-way already completed.
Other significant strides made include the signing of a memorandum of agreement with the taxi industry in February last year.
A survey for revenue and skills audit is also being finalised – it will ensure that no jobs are lost and those employed by affected operators are reskilled and can work in the new transport model.
Manyathi said while the project is expected to take 15 years to complete, it will leave a lasting legacy in the city with a safe, improved public transport model.
Other infrastructure required for the KwaMashu/Pinetown corridor include transfer stations, a terminal station, a depot and transport management centre.
