Long distance taxi strike over

With the festive season in full swing, the thousands of commuters who use taxis for their long distance trips these holidays can breathe a sigh of relief as the strike by the Durban long-distance taxi operators is over.

The strike which went on for over a week was called off last night following an amicable solution between the relevant authorities.

The disgruntled operators had argued that the Department of Transport in the province has delayed the issuing of operating licenses and permits which would allow them to operate legally.

They have also raised their disapproval at the functioning of Operation Shanela - a crime busting initiative which conducts regular checks and impounds taxis that are not roadworthy - citing that it had impounded their vehicles.

On Monday, the operators took to the streets and blocked the major highways, including the N2 and N3.

According to the Ndabezinhle Sibiya, spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Human Settlements, the meeting held between the MEC for the Department of Transports Siboniso Duma, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Thami Ntuli and the taxi associations at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Thursday was fruitful, adding that the other operators had their permits and had pleaded for an intensification of Operation Shanela.

Sibiya said that they were vindicated as the Department as they had been consistent in stating that there were between 4000 and 5000 permits that had not been collected, adding that they had been consistent in calling for the operators to pick up their permits.

“There are about 68 taxi operators from Durban Long Distance taxi association who have produced documents. We said to the entrepreneurs in the taxi industry that when you want a permit, you must produce a certificate of roadworthiness and a rank-stand from the municipality indicating that there is a stand for your taxi to operate and a certificate for the driver to indicate that this driver is qualified to operate,” he said.

Sibiya said that the National Land and Transport Regulation required them to indicate to the taxi operators to pick up their permits, which they have done numerous times.

However, last night MEC for Transport Siboniso Duma assured passengers that the long distance taxis will be operational again from Monday.

This will be a huge relief for drivers as well.

According to taxi drivers from the Durban Long-distance Taxi Association, Mcabangeni Nala, while equally, the strike action had resulted in a huge knock on their earnings as the immobility of the taxis resulted in no income.

Another taxi driver, Mpumelelo Mlambo said that this was a difficult period.

“This year alone, we have had plenty of strikes. It is December and we do not know how we will get by or how we will send our children back to school at the beginning of the 2025 academic year. We get paid when we work and now that we are not working, there is no money to earn and that makes it difficult to survive,” he said.

Mlambo said that they were experiencing great difficulty due to operation Shanela.

“The way we are abused by Shanela when we leave Durban, one could even cause major accidents due to them chasing you down.

“You can encounter them while travelling in opposite directions but the moment they see the ‘ND’ number plate, they will make a U-Turn and chase you down and pull you aside, while you are driving a taxi that is packed with passengers that include old women and children,” he said.

Meanwhile, economist Professor Bonke Dumisa said that the action of blocking the N3 Highway and other routes was unfortunate however there had not been significant economic impact as the vehicles were gradually removed.

However, Dumisa said that this had created negative connotations of safety in the province and that if the strike continued beyond the weekend, it would send impressions of lawlessness to the people who frequent the province and bring in money during the festive season.

When contacted for their stance on the strike, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in the province declined to comment.