Members of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), together with the officials from the AB350 bus company, took a decision to establish a team that will be made up of these two industries in Mthatha, last week.
This team will go to the areas where the AB350 bus had been torched, to speak with community members, as well as the members of the taxi industry, about the danger of vandalising these buses.
According to the chairperson for SANTACO, Bishop Zola Yolelo, even though they do not know who is doing this behaviour, they appeal that they should stop it.
Yolelo said these resolutions were taken after the MEC for Transport, Xolile Nqatha, brought together leadership from the taxi industry under the banner of SANTACO in the province, and their counterparts in the bus industry. The meeting was held to find a lasting solution to the ongoing heist and arson attacks affecting two of the biggest public transport service providers to dozens of disadvantaged communities in the province.
“They must stop doing this before the police services intervene. We made peace with AB350, and it is not our responsibility as the taxi industry to tell people how to price their business. We do not have evidence that it is our members who are causing this problem, but we decided to stand up and make sure that we fight it. As SANTACO we know it is a bad thing to vandalise properties; that is why we appeal to those who are doing this to stop,” said Yolelo.
He added that their members must know that if they are found doing this they will be disqualified from the taxi industry.
He confirmed that it will not be SANTACO who will disqualify them, but the rule is saying so.
Chairman for AB350 Bus Company, Simlindile Hintsa, confirmed that they vowed to work together with the members of SANTACO.
“We will try to come closer to one another as well as AB350 and SANTACO, so that we close the gap that is in between us so that we can be able to communicate when there are some problems of this nature,” said Hintsa.
He added that the meeting was very successful, and they hope that those who are doing this behaviour of vandalising their buses will stop it.
Hintsa confirmed that police are continuing with their investigation. He could not give the exact number of the buses that had been burnt, but he stated that this problem had started a long time ago, but roughly he can say around 10 that had been vandalised, recently.
The MEC for the Department of Transport, Xolile Nqatha, said that he was happy to see these two industries making peace and planning to work together.
“Members of SANTACO are saying that those who are vandalising and burning these buses must stop before the law takes its course. As the government we will support them; we are happy that they will be able to close the gap between them,” said Nqatha.
