Johannesburg - The taxi and liquor industries have received a R5.8 million boost to fight Covid-19 and hone their business skills.
Taxi and liquor operators undertook training in Soweto on Thursday through a ground-breaking partnership between the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), the National Liquor Traders Council, and Distell.
The two largest black-owned industries in the country and the largest locally-owned liquor company will work together to enhance Covid-19 compliance in the taxi and tavern sectors. The partnership will also seek to reduce road accidents, combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), promote black entrepreneurship, and drive the responsible consumption of alcohol.
Distell has invested the money for the distribution of sanitisers and masks at taxi ranks, training in Covid19 safety measures, GBVF awareness, business skills and customer care, basic vehicle checks and road and pedestrian safety, as well as first-aid training for drivers and company owners.
Tavern owners will receive similar training, as well as training in principles of responsible trading and sustainable development.
The partnership dramatically expands Distell’s existing programmes to promote road safety and responsible consumption of alcohol, as well as its work to address GBVF.
The taxi and tavern industries have a combined annual turnover of R85 billion and support more than two million livelihoods, mainly in townships.
Santaco president, Phillip Taaibosch, said the partnership created a mass-based, grassroots platform to drive road safety and Covid-19-compliance, tackle gender-based violence, and promote a culture of responsible drinking on an unprecedented scale.
“Our combined membership reaches the vast majority of South Africans, on their way to and from work every day or when they socialise, in every corner of the country. Training of taxi drivers is part of our commitment to ensure the industry’s maximum compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols, and help prevent a third wave taking hold in our country,” Taaibosch said.
Distell SA managing director, Wim Buhrmann, said partnerships were key to addressing societal challenges.
“These are serious challenges that require us to join hands as a society and each play our part to prevent a third wave of Covid-19 and end the needless carnage on our roads.
“Distell believes we can make a real difference if we take a holistic, evidence-based approach, and work closely with significant sectors like the taxi and tavern industries.
“There is a big socio-economic dimension to many of our challenges – from gender-based violence and femicide to binge drinking, crime and violence – and driving sustainable economic development, promoting entrepreneurship, and stimulating job creation are all part of the solution. We are proud to support taxi and tavern owners to build a better future together that will benefit all parties,” Buhrmann said.
National Liquor Traders Council convenor, Lucky Ntimane, said that with winter approaching and fears of a third wave of Covid-19, it was more important than ever to remain vigilant and practise Covid-19 safety.
“The sanitiser and face masks donated by Distell will help taxi operators to keep commuters safe, and the training they received today raises awareness of the need to comply with the Covid-19 safety protocols. We are all in this together and it’s encouraging to see partnerships between large companies like Distell and small blackowned businesses that aim to keep everyone safe.”
The parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which commits them to continued co-operation throughout the year.
The partnership will also explore collaboration with the tavern industry to drastically reduce driving under the influence of alcohol. They have, for now, set a target to significantly reduce crashes involving taxis and pedestrian fatalities.
The training started in Welkom in the Free State, with about 50 participants a day, and will move to Gauteng, then KwaZulu-Natal, then the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, targeting 500 participants in each region.
Programmes will focus on 75 taxi ranks across all provinces. Hot spots will be identified using statistics for population density, road accidents and pedestrian fatalities, and areas with a high incidence of GBVF cases.
The Star