R30 million renovations to taxi ranks welcomed, but only by some
While the Polokwane Municipality is excited to reveal the renovations made at two taxi ranks in the city which were budgeted at R30 million, taxi operators and hawkers working in the area have expressed mixed emotions over the renovations with mostly the hawkers showing dissatisfaction of how they were not taken into consideration when the plans for the renovations were made.
The main taxi rank in Church Street cost the municipality R16 million, and the taxi rank in the city centre, R14 million. Renovations at the two ranks are mostly similar with the same features introduced to both.
According to Municipal Spokesperson Thipa Selala, the new features include an ablution facility, offices, market stalls and seats for commuters, solar lights, video surveillance cameras, roof structures, storm water system, election of boundary wall, USB charging ports and new paving.
Selala says the renovations also come with the upgrading of the old facility to a new modern facility.
“The taxi rank in the city centre was completed and the one in Church Street is expected to be completed within two weeks. The taxi ranks are part of the Integrated Public Transport System and they are funded under the Integrated Public Transport Grant.”
Mosima Ramoganyaka, one of the hawkers says she is not happy at all with what the municipality did at the rank as she feels there was nothing introduced that has eased their work.
She says they were told the municipality is constructing working stations where they will be able to sell and keep their stock overnight but the structures that were built are too small and cannot be closed or locked.
“Firstly, I feel that as hawkers we were disregarded in the plans that were made here, and had they engaged us we would have been able to make suggestions on how they can assist. Now we are told that we should use the structures they built to do business from but the structures are too small, they did not make provision for us who need to cook or braai and then sell.”
According to Mosima, they struggle with keeping the area clean as well after municipal workers said to them that they would need to be responsible for cleaning the actual taxi rank themselves as municipal workers were only responsible for the streets. Mosima says this was understood and the hawkers employed someone to assist with the cleaning but now they struggle with simple things like getting refuse bags and a place to empty their dustbins.
“The municipality erected a structure that should be used as a dumping area but it is just a few metres away from where I sell my food. How am I supposed to sell something and get customers if there is going to be a dustbin right next to me. The roof structures they have erected leak during the rain and the poles have already started to rust. There are not enough smaller dustbins and the paving was not properly done as water stops and pools during the rain.”
Mosima believes the municipality could have done a much better job and maintains that as much as the idea was great the actual execution of the renovations was a waste of valuable time and money.
Polokwane Observer spoke to hawkers and taxi operators to gather their thoughts on the matter.
