MEC wants more women in the taxi industry
"The taxi industry is a prime example of where women can become entrepreneurs," - MEC for the Department of Transport, Safety, Security and Liaison, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana
POLOKWANE – MEC for the Department of Transport, Safety, Security and Liaison, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana, says for women to be successful in life they should learn from other successful women and aspire to be like them.
She said this during the recent Women’s Month celebration in partnership with the Seshego Polokwane Taxi Association (SPTA) at the Polokwane taxi rank on Sunday.
During the event, several women, including the MEC and the Polokwane Mayor, Thembi Nkadimeng transported passengers from the taxi rank to their homes using taxis.
Mokaba-Phukwana explained that women must not be afraid of starting their own businesses, she said the taxi industry is a prime example of where women can become entrepreneurs.
“We want to see women championing the taxi industry. We want them to take the money home for their children, however, that does not mean we are undermining the men in the industry,” she explained.
She said the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and United Nations (UN) women show how well the country is faring with regard to women empowerment in relation to the rest of the world.
Nkadimeng said: “By celebrating Women’s Month, we are giving women our full support. However, the core responsibilities of being a woman should not be substituted by their determination to become capitalists in this competitive economy”.
SPTA Chairperson, Solomon Ledwaba, said their association is in need of women taxi drivers and owners and they are welcome to join the industry.
“We need women who have their driver’s licence to apply for jobs in this industry because we understand that working together as men and women can help us build strong, prosperous families,” Ledwaba explained.
One of the women taxi owners, Tlou Rachidi, said she joined the industry 30 years ago and she feels right at home in the industry.
“Not undermining the people at the taxi rank has paved my way and built a good relationship between us. Let all women come together and join the industry because with the little money we receive from the industry, every woman can be able to look after her family,” Rachidi said.
