Local taxi associations commit own funds to help build new routes
Motorists, passengers, and taxi drivers who mostly resides in Ext 18 RDP houses were complaining about the state of the gravel road that makes driving impossible, especially after the rain.
Mamelodi-based taxi associations Mata and Malldta have committed to using their own funds to fix taxi routes by contributing G5 sub-base soil.
Taxi associations and the Tshwane metro met to conduct an oversight visit of one of the main taxi routes in the far east of Mamelodi last Monday.
The associations said they were very concerned about these routes, as they cause damage to taxis, resulting in traffic police always issuing tickets for unroadworthy vehicles.
Malldta (Mamelodi local and long-distance taxi association) chairperson Stemmer Monageng said motorists, passengers, and taxi drivers mostly residing in Ext 18 RDP houses were complaining about the state of the gravel road that makes driving impossible, especially after rain.
He said they have engaged with Tshwane officials and informed them of the challenges they are facing on the damaged routes.
“City officials were sent to join us on Monday to do in-loco inspections and see for themselves the challenges on the routes.
“The problem with the Tshwane is that it doesn’t have the budget to fix the routes in the far east of Mamelodi,” said Monageng.
“As the two taxi associations, we have committed to using our own funds to fix the taxi routes by contributing the G5 soil, and the municipality will have to provide the rest.
“We are doing all this because it is our taxi vehicles using these routes, and the people here are our community, and we will use the association’s money to bring harmony to these routes,” explained Monageng.
“I want to emphasise that we are only supplying the G5 soil, and the municipality will have to come up with a budget to put tar on these routes,” he said.
Mata (Mamelodi Amalgamated Taxi Association) chairperson Ben Maredi said, “We are very concerned about these routes as they damage our vehicles and traffic police always issue tickets for unroadworthy cars.
“Although we would have liked to fix the roads ourselves from start to finish, we have realised it would be impossible as that job is very expensive. That is why we brought the city officials here, and they promised to support us in this matter.
“The officials came to see the damaged routes, and I am happy they have committed to help, even though they don’t have a budget for G5 soil,” he said.
Monageng added: “It is disappointing that politicians are quick to come to this area when campaigning for votes but are nowhere to be seen when they must deliver services like fixing the roads.
“Right now, we have to use the money that we should be using on our members to fix these routes,” he said as he pointed out that it is not their responsibility to fix routes.
Last June, the taxi associations and stakeholders, together with local councillors, officially opened the part of Tsamaya Road from Phase 2 Railway Line Bridge to Mams Mall, known as “the never-ending project” for its massive potholes causing serious damage to vehicles.
The associations had to intervene following complaints from motorists and taxi drivers about the road.
Maredi said the potholes were so large that motorists were no longer using the road and preferred alternative routes to get to their destinations.
At the time of going to press Rekord was still waiting for a comment from the Tshwane metro.
