The group gathered at the Newcastle Protection Services offices on Albert Wessels Drive for a meeting with representatives from the Department of Community Safety and Liaison and SAPS, to voice their concerns.
Nkosinathi Zithe, treasurer of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in Newcastle, stated that drivers have been ‘struggling’ since the e-hailing service began operating. He claimed that unlicensed and unregistered vehicles cannot be allowed to operate without the legislated permits.
Zithe explained that the aim of their protest was to ‘protect the community’s interests and ensure that passengers use registered, safe transport options.’
“Those driving and transporting people without operation permits are doing so illegally, and we will not tolerate this,” Zithe said. “We are authorised to operate here by the Department of Transport and we cannot allow unauthorised people to kill our jobs.”
Zithe expressed concern that this new service will impact the legal taxi industry. “What does this mean for our drivers, who rely on this as their only source of income?” he asked.
Concluding highlighted that the operation was not only targeting drivers using the new e-hailing service, Maxim, but was also aimed at clamping down even meter taxi drivers that are unregistered and not operating under SANTACO.
A taxi driver, who asked to remain anonymous, voiced his growing frustration. “Right now, we’re trying to communicate peacefully with the authorities but if nothing is done soon, we will take more drastic action. The authorities have made promises before, but nothing changed,” the driver said.
Following the meeting, Zithe said the Department of Community Safety and Liaison and the SAPS had asked ‘for some time to assemble a team that will look into the issue.’
Responding to the accusations, Maxim issued a comprehensive statement addressing several key concerns denying claims that the company was that they were operating illegally and without permits.
“Recently, a law was passed allowing applications to legally operate within the country. Therefore, it is incorrect to label the activities of the Maxim service as illegal.”
They further emphasized the company works ‘exclusively with verified drivers, who undergo extensive background checks (including checks for criminal records, fines, etc.) and provide all required legal documentation during registration.’
Maxim reaffirmed its commitment to legal compliance, safety standards, and constructive dialogue with stakeholders. “We are open to dialogue with representatives of the association because we want to emphasise once again that we are not competitors. We all work for the benefit of the city’s residents to make their lives more comfortable,” they stated.
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