KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma vows to transform the transport sector

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma has emphasised the need for ongoing engagements with the relevant stakeholders in the transport sector following social media reports of a planned taxi strike in Ugu District set to take place on July 29.

According to the social media reports, the protest aims to force the Department of Transport to intervene in the issues they are facing in the region.

Taxis, buses, scholar transport and e-hailing services would not be operating during the strike according to reports.

Duma has also promised that the law enforcement agencies will be on standby collaborating with the his department, the municipalities which could affected as the enforcement of by-laws is critical.

He is aware that his department has a duty to protect the commuters and the citizens.

Duma also expressed his appreciating on what he has called the ‘bold’ leadership displayed by the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in terms of managing some of the issues that are destabilising the taxi industry.

He said the taxi industry is important in terms of the wellbeing of the province socially and economically.

Spokesperson for the KZN MEC for Transport,and Human Settlements, Ndabezinhle Sibiya said MEC Duma will be engaging withe the leadership of SANTACO as well as associations “with a view of ensuring that all issues that are affecting the public transport sector are addressed in a manner that will benefit taxi operators, bus operators, including the operators within the e-hailing service”.

Sibiya added that MEC Duma acknowledges the importance of ensuring stability within the taxi industry because there are honest taxi operators which he said should be protected at all times.

MEC Duma has also announced that his department is also planning to host a Taxi Indaba in August as he has also vowed to transform and strengthen the public transport industry in the KZN province to become a catalyst of the economy.

Currently, Duma is attending a two-day strategic planning where he has invited former MEC’s Willies Mchunu and Bheki Cele because he believes that they are better placed to advise him as he plans to resolve the issues in the taxi industry.

MEC Duma is hopeful that the engagements will be robustly and freely to decide on a clear programme of action.

“We want to repurpose the department and ensure that we achieve the revisiting and completing roads that were promised or initiated  during the era of MECs Sbu Ndebele, Bheki Cele, Willies Mchunu, Mxolisi Kaunda, Bheki Ntuli, Peggy Nkonyeni and Sipho Hlomuka. Ending the monopoly of few construction companies that are awarded road construction projects even when they perform dismally, ” said Duma.

The engagements aim to put an end to the prolonged construction of roads with some taking forever to be completed as as well as fast-tracking the entry of emerging entrepreneurs into the construction sector, using the construction of roads to drive Skills Revolution as part of producing more engineers, planners, environmentalists and other experts and mainly young people.

Other discussions will also look into Creating job opportunities across all corners of the province and in the process eradicate poverty as well as stimulating all sectors of the economy like the rail, maritime and aviation so to grow the GDP of the province.

The department added that it will also discuss strengthening the public transport system and improve the quality of life of each and every citizen in KZN abd bridging the rural and urban divide.

MEC Duma added that his department will also discuss accessing the National Infrastructure Fund “in order to fund the roll-out of road infrastructure and to develop other transport sub-sectors to accomodate the growing population and accelerate economic growth”.

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