The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA), is dismayed and disappointed once again, by the failure of the ANC government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, to speedily resolve the current impasse with the taxi industry association SANTACO. The taxi Industry has estimated that it needs, from government, no less than R20,000 per taxi, for most of its operators to survive.

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NUMSA DISMAYED BY FAILURE OF ANC GOVERNMENT TO RESOLVE IMPASSE
IN THE TAXI INDUSTRY
1 July 2020
For immediate Release
The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA), is dismayed and
disappointed once again, by the failure of the ANC government led by President Cyril
Ramaphosa, to speedily resolve the current impasse with the taxi industry association
SANTACO. The taxi Industry has estimated that it needs, from government, no less
than R20,000 per taxi, for most of its operators to survive. Anyone with the least
knowledge of the cut throat competition in this industry will have no problem accepting
that the government’s necessary stringent lockdown regulations and continuing
passenger load regulation of 70% will cause this sector to collapse.
As in many areas of the South African economy and society, the taxi industry best
illustrates the continuing racist, colonial and White supremacist post 1994 South Africa
which the coronavirus pandemic has now fully exposed: this is the extremely inferior,
poor, under resourced, undercapitalized, over crowded, cut throat sector which
transports to work the majority of the South African working class who are African and
Black.
The contempt with which the Ramaphosa ANC government views the lives of the
working class is demonstrated by the fact that 26 years after 1994, this sector remains
thoroughly untransformed, informal and inferior in comparison to other transport
modes. It continues to be unsupported by government and is confined to operating in
the low wage economy populated by the African and Black majority of the working
class.
In its current form, the taxi Industry is essential to the survival of the South African
racist and colonial society and White Monopoly Capital controlled economy as it
transports the bulk of low waged African and Black working class, the working class
which supplies the labour from which the super profits are made. It is, therefore in fact
in the interests of Ramaphosa’s ANC government and the current racist colonial South
African economy to meet the funding demands of this sector, to both protect the lives
of the majority of the working class this sector transports, and the super profits the
racist South African economy churns out.

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We reject, with the contempt it deserves, the argument that workers’ lives’ must be
placed in danger because the ANC government must pursue austerity measures
against workers in order to protect the financial wealth of South African White
Monopoly Capital and its international backers. Our members who are largely
dependent on the taxi industry for transport demand that the government must meet
the funding demands of the taxi industry. Our members’ lives cannot be sacrificed at
the altar of profits!
Our members demand that they be transported safely to and from work. The pandemic
requires that taxis must strictly comply with the pandemic regulations. For this to
happen, government must meet the taxi industry funding demands. By failing to meet
the funding demands of the taxi industry, the Ramaphosa ANC government, is
promoting division and violence between the taxi operators and the African and Black
working class – when in fact the majority of the taxi drivers live in the same African
working class communities.
We also urge the taxi owners, operators and drivers not to punish with possible
infections and death their fellow poor brothers and sisters who use this form of public
transport, by ignoring lockdown regulations and filling up their taxis to the maximum
capacity. Rather, this is a golden opportunity for the African and Black working class,
who are the majority and are dependent on this sector, to unite and demand genuine
transformation, full government funding and modern improvements, to this system of
public transport that caters for the majority of the working class in this country.
We also call on the taxi associations and taxi owners to transform the industry,
because workers in the taxi industry continue to be the most exploited. Taxi owners
must register employees for UIF, provident fund and all benefits that come for working
for an employer. If taxi owners are to get relief from government, workers must benefit
as well, so that the super exploitation of workers in the taxi sector must come to an
end. We call on the entire industry to unite with the working class whom it transports
and to do what it takes to ensure that all the rules necessary to prevent the spread of
the coronavirus are observed including social distancing, sanitization and the
appropriate 70% load capacity which will reduce chances of spreading the virus.
NUMSA fully supports the demands of the taxi association not only to meet their
current operational costs, but for the total transformation of the industry to make it
modern, decent, safe and affordable for the working class, and to improve the benefits
and conditions of workers. All this cannot be achieved without full government
support.
Should the governments fail to move with the necessary pace to resolve this dispute
with the taxi association, in the interest of our members and the broader African and
Black working class, who are caught up in the middle of a crisis that is not of their
making, we will be left with no option but to approach a court of law to impose the
necessary solution and instruct this government to act swiftly and protect the lives of
the working class. Should we not find comfort in the courts, we shall have no choice

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but to mobilise for a political fight for decent, modern, safe and affordable public
transport for our members.
Aluta continua!
The struggle continues!
Issued by
Irvin Jim
NUMSA General Secretary
For more information, please contact:
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola
NUMSA National Spokesperson
0833767725
phakamileh@numsa.org.za