National taxi strike still on the cards: Santaco
Taxi Association Santaco says its planned taxi strike for next Wednesday will go ahead.
Taxi drivers in Gauteng embarked on a go slow in June, to protest amongst others – escalating vehicle prices and drivers being blacklisted.
Santaco spokesperson, Thabisho Molelekwa, says they have a list of demands.
"The issues affecting the taxi industry are broad. And they move from the private sector to government. In the two previous strikes we have been engaging the private sector regarding sales of vehicles, development and empowerment of the industry, taxi financing and issues related to that," says Molelekwa.
He says if they do not reach an agreement with both government and the private sector, the only option the industry has is a nationwide strike.
"We have a problem we have been facing for over 15 years regarding operating licences. Some taxi operators have been waiting for their licences for three years. At some stage we took the Gauteng government to court. We won the case and still nothing has been done," he says.
Molelekwa says they’re planning to meet Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi.
"We enjoy a good relationship with the Minister of transport and he has invited us to discuss our grievences. The issues we are raising with government are not new and hence we seek urgent solutions," says Molelekwa.