National Taxi Alliance mulls over total shutdown

The National Taxi Alliance (NTA) has given government 21 days to respond to their letter or face protest action.

Speaking to The Citizen on Tuesday morning, spokesperson for the NTA, Theo Malele said a shutdown can only be averted if government responds positively to their demands.

Just like many South Africans, the industry has had to bear the brunt of rising fuel prices.

“We have written a letter to the Minister of Minerals and Energy and copied the Minister of Transport, and we are saying that this industry which provides 400 000 direct and indirect jobs cannot be left to go under.

“The minister should look into the relaxation of levies on fuel so that we can have a breather in terms of being able to meet our financial obligations every month as an industry,” said Malele.

He said they are yet to receive any correspondence from government in relation to the letter they sent to them.

“All we are hearing in the media is that the government will talk to the taxi industry .

“We have given government an ultimatum of 21 days to respond and failure for them to respond, we will then have to consult broadly with our taxi operators throughout the country, get a fresh mandate and that mandate will then guide us on what course of action to take… Obviously a shutdown is quite possible,” Malele added.

Just last week, the United Taxi Association Front (UTAF), an affiliate of the NTA, threatened a shutdown should their demands not be met.

Recently another taxi body, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) already told their members to increase taxi fares.

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