On Thursday hundreds of taxi drivers converged on the up-market Kwelanga Lodge, a popular conference facility south of Pacaltsdorp, and succeeded to disrupt a BRT meeting at the lodge. (In George the BRT initiative is known as the George Mobility Strategy.)
The protestors jumped over the wall and opened the gate from the inside after which a man was attacked. Lodge manager Dries Heyneke managed to rescue the man before the police arrived on the scene.
Heyneke says it is an absolute wonder that the situation did not explode. "The men were very aggressive and threatening and by blocking vehicle access to the lodge, succeeded in delaying the police."
The protesters are members of the Uncedo Taxi Association. Their leaders boycotted the mobility meeting because of socalled ‘unaddressed issues’ and summoned all their drivers and members to protest at the lodge.
Police go on foot
The police struggled to reach the lodge as the Hansmoeskraal road was blocked by taxis for a stretch of more than one kilometre. The men in blue had to make their way to the lodge on foot and upon arrival secured the electronic gate. For most of the morning Hansmoeskraal was closed to traffic.
BRT representatives from Cape Town, local officials and representatives from the other two local taxi associations were forced to cancel the meeting as the situation threatened to get out of hand.
A heavy police presence kept things under control and several officers guarded the entrance to the lodge. Eventually a police negotiator convinced the leadership to tell their taxi drivers to return to work.
Uncedo spokesperson, Isaac Stemela says their main grievances are the length of the contract offered by Government, a lack of details and guarantees and the proposed monthly income. "They cannot continue making plans before they address these issues. Therefore the meeting had to be stopped. A 12-year contract is far too short. We are in this business for life. We also don’t have the full picture of how we will be accommodated within the BRT system.
"The other important factor is the promised R4 000 per month income. This is far too low - at the moment we do better."
Dream in tatters
In light of the new developments, the George Traffic Department’s dream of having the system in place by the beginning of the Soccer World Cup in June, is in tatters.
Taxi operators also feel side-lined in the run-up to the World Cup and fear they will miss out on the possible economic benefits.
The government driven national BRT system offers taxi-owners with permits a share in a holding company. BRT is popular in developing countries and aims to combat congestion and provide better public transport.
This week, as part of the ongoing conflict between BRT and taxi operators, minibus taxi drivers in Johannesburg and Soweto went on strike and intimidated passengers over the introduction of BRT feeder systems.
A new meeting will be convened in George to address Uncedo’s grievances.
Claude Madell from the George Municipality, who attended the fateful meeting, declined to comment and referred all queries to the provincial Department of Transport. At the time of going to press the George Herald was still waiting for a response from Cape Town.
Article and photos: Ilse Schoonraad
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Taxing times. Uncedo Taxi Association spokesperson, Isaac Stemela (in red) in discussion with the police.
