Chairperson of the Western Cape Provincial Taxi Council & his executive
Senior government officials
Representatives from the various taxi associations
Community leaders
Distinguished guests
Ladies & gentlemen
The democratisation of the minibus taxi industry in South Africa and in February 2002 in this province specifically, demonstrated the taxi industry's commitment to move away from its destructive past.
Of course the road since then has not been an easy ride.
Together with the industry, my department started to identify those issues that needed to be addressed to ensure an industry that is capable of managing its affairs properly.
One such issue was the organisational and administrative difficulty the industry is faced with.
The Provincial Taxi Council could not communicate effectively with its Regional Councils, and Regional Councils could not communicate with primary associations and members at ground level.
This resulted in mixed and confusing messages going out to members on the ground about the programmes in the minibus taxi industry.
We have as government expected and in some cases demanded that the taxi industry must provide a decent transport service while there were no support systems in place to assist them.
With the opening of this office, we are hoping this issue would be addressed by ensuring that a proper administrative and organizational structure is in place to service members at grassroots level.
Secondly, the opening of the office will ensure that the minibus taxi industry has a center from where they could interact with government and the private sector from a solid base.
It is one of government's key promises that services should be brought to where our people are.
Today, we have delivered and are clearly demonstrating that the tide has indeed turned towards a people-centred service delivery.
The central location of this office, the Athlone interchange, which is on top of the Klipfontein Corridor and also within the heart of a community that formed the focal point of resistance against apartheid oppression; - this symbolizes the future course that government and this industry are taking to improve the minibus taxi services.
In my budget speech a few weeks ago, I promised a number of things that would happen within the taxi industry.
These included the Taxi Awards, whereby deserving owners, drivers and rank marshals were rewarded for the role they played in providing a safe and efficient taxi service to the communities they service.
This was a successful event. I also promised the opening of a Provincial Taxi Office.
This facility is the realisation of that promise.
I have indicated that the opening of the office forms part of broader initiatives that this industry and my department are working on in partnership to improve the level of taxi services.
Today, I want to further commit my department to providing empowerment assistance to the industry through the following programmes:
- The provision of financial and non-financial support in the form of training to the industry.
- This would ensure that all drivers, rank marshals and operators are properly trained and gain the necessary skills to be able to provide an efficient transport service.
- This support will also include advice to individual operators and associations to set up well - structured business entities that would make it possible for them to partake in contracts and other economic initiatives.
- Assistance to help the industry to align its primary, regional and provincial constitutions with the national taxi council constitution.
- A commitment to set-up satellite taxi offices in rural areas to improve turn-around times in permit applications etc. "
- A programme to pilot a schedule service within the minibus taxi industry as currently piloted in Atlantis by operators themselves.
- Logistics support with the industry's elections both at regional and provincial level later in the year.
In conclusion Programme Director, I would just like to further demonstrate our commitment as government by placing emphasis on that the fact that the opening of this office forms one of the 20 key deliverables that Premier Rasool identified in his State of the Province address earlier this year as projects that would characterise this new government's first 100 days in office.
This without a doubt clearly demonstrates how serious we are as government to bringing the minibus taxi industry to the mainstream of the economy.
We are a government of the people charged with the responsibility of improving the quality of life of our people.
The first decade has given us a solid foundation in so far as basic services are concerned.
In the second decade of our freedom, President Mbeki has charged us with the responsibility of narrowing the gap between the first and the third world economies in South Africa.
It is projects such as this one that are beginning to do that, and if we work together as we have so far - we will succeed.
