GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General
31 October 2024
Taxi operators in Mpumalanga are reportedly clamping down on motorists who stop to give lifts to hitchhikers, seizing their vehicles and forcing them to pay large release fees.
Chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council in Mpumalanga Fanyana Sibanyoni justified the extortion on national television, saying taxi operators are the only people who have permits to pick up passengers.
He added that if motorists explained to the taxi patrollers that the person to whom they were giving a lift was a family member, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Taxi operating licenses give operators the right to provide public transportation services for a fee.
They do not give operators or associations the right to force anyone to use their services, or to force those who cannot afford taxis to walk.
Santaco is a national taxi institution. Its members errant behaviour in Mpumalanga must be swiftly stopped before it spreads to other provinces.
Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samantha Jackson, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 083 5509875
Email: samantha@forgood.org.za
Image courtesy: Nissan