By Fiona Forde
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has made its position clear: the industry is not prepared to accept the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in its current form. Either the government gives it control of the proposed transport system, or it continues to rule the roads with its taxis. There is no middle ground.
The threats from the taxi industry should not be taken lightly. This is not the first time its survival has been challenged, and since the minibus taxis appeared in 1977, it has successfully stared down opposition at every turn.
The argument has rarely altered: they started the industry, they built up the routes and they will not give them up lightly. And the temperature is as high today as it was every other time they were forced to stand their ground.
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'The argument has rarely altered' Although it is far from ideal that the government can be held hostage by a single industry, and an unregulated one at that, it must be noted that it is already beholden to Fifa, having promised elements of BRT in time for next year's World Cup.
In an ideal world, the government would go back to the drawing board now and reconsider its plan. But in light of the bind in which it now finds itself, it would appear that the government has nowhere to go. Should it decide to steamroll ahead, it will be forced to test the ire of the taxi industry and is likely to spark massive social unrest, which would threaten the success of the World Cup anyway.
Consequently, and only one month into his tenure, President Jacob Zuma is faced with one of the most challenging legacies of the Thabo Mbeki era.
Was the previous government short-sighted in its approach? Could it not see that transforming the taxis would be the most contentious project of them all?
"That's why we decided to stay well away from BRT," says Mike Sutcliffe, Durban's city manager. "Taxis dominate this city and they need to be a part of any future transport plan, but under BRT the options just seemed disastrous for them."
Instead, Durban opted for a more integrated system that keeps taxis in the fold and their fleets on the roads.
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