UPDATE: Mbombela taxi operators demand additional rank and routes

Dissatisfied taxi operators blockaded the entrance to the City of Mbombela (CoM) Civic Centre with minibuses on October 2 , and daily services were halted.
Four local taxi associations, KaBokweni Taxi Association, Umjindi Barberton Taxi Association, White Hazy Taxi Association and Ngodwana Taxi Association, demanded an additional taxi rank and insisted on being treated fairly.

Background

According to Vusi Mdluli of the KaBokweni Taxi Association, who spoke on behalf of all the associations, they have had challenges in getting an additional taxi rank in Mbombela.

“We started engaging with the municipality in 2010. We went back in 2014. They told us then that due to by-laws, it is not possible to have a second taxi rank. They claimed only after 2019 would it be possible to provide a taxi rank. We made follow-ups after the new mayor was elected. We somehow lost communication. That is when we decided to submit a hand-delivered letter. They did not acknowledge receiving the letter, and the members want to know the current state of things and why the mayor is not responding,” he said.

Mdluli said the main reason why they want a second a taxi rank is because they cannot trade fairly at the Mbombela Taxi Rank.

“There is one association bullying the others. We were told that the taxi rank belongs to the community when we asked the municipality who the custodian was; they do not want to answer us. We have another problem: when we apply for routes in this town, we do not get them. We applied in 2020, but the applications are not gazetted so that we can object. We are not happy with the way we are treated. We want the mayor to tell us who owns the town and the taxi rank. As soon as we enter Nelspruit, we feel like we are not welcomed,” he said.

Topstar Taxi Association respond

One taxi association not part of the strike, Topstar Taxi Association’s chairperson, John Mavundla, said they cannot comment on the unfair treatment since they do not manage the other associations, but only focus on theirs.

“If the other taxi associations want routes, they know they are supposed to apply to the Department of Roads and Transport, not to the municipality. The CoM does not have routes – if they are requesting routes there, they are lost. If they want to have routes, they should apply and approach other taxi ranks outside, just like we did. For example, when we knew that we wanted to travel to KwaZulu-Natal, we applied and approached KwaZulu-Natal to form relations. The other associations can do the same.”

Mavundla added that it is not possible for two associations to operate on the same routes, as it will cause conflicts. “We also have limitations when we operate on the roads. There are laws. If, for example, White Hazy, Barberton, KaBokweni or White River want to travel long distance, they should, although it can be done from their own taxi ranks. All these associations have ranks in their communities. We cannot go to the other areas and get passengers and then travel with them.”

Mavundla said a meeting was recently held in which some of these issues were discussed.

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City of Mbombela responds

The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said, “We are still in a meeting with their leadership. However, at the broader meeting we resolved that the issues of having a separate taxi rank cannot be resolved in this meeting, but the process was to resume on October 11. Secondly, the other operational matters will have to involve the other associations that were not part of the meeting. Matters that are the competency of other spheres of government will be referred to them.”

This is a developing story. Mpumalanga News will update its readers as more information is made available.

Taxi associations demand additional rank in Mbombela – October 5

The taxi operators of four local taxi associations, namely KaBokweni Taxi Association, Umjindi Barberton Taxi Association, White Hazy Taxi Association and Ngodwana Taxi Association, blockaded the entrance to the City of Mbombela (CoM) Civic Centre in a protest action today, October 9.

The civic centre is currently closed and cannot be accessed by employees or customers.

According to Vusi Mdluli of the KaBokweni Taxi Association, who spoke on behalf of all the associations, they want an additional taxi rank in Mbombela, and insist that the executive mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko, address their grievances.

Mdluli said the grievances include establishing clear indications of rules and regulations at the current taxi rank, to aid engagements with other local taxi associations to trade fairly, and to ultimately have an additional taxi rank established in Mbombela. “We feel like a stepchild, and we want to trade fairly.”

The taxi operators and members of the associations said they would wait until they are addressed by the mayor.

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This is a developing story. Mpumalanga News will update its readers as more information is made available.