In what’s clearly a last minute’s electioneering efforts, political leaders, as well as independent candidates are wooing taxi operators to vote for their respective parties in the upcoming 2024 National Elections to be held on May 29.
While no taxi associations or leaders have come out publicly to endorse any of the political parties for their members to support and vote for, they are encouraging taxi operators to exercise their democratic right to vote for a party of their choice, which they believe will bring about the desired change.
Theo Malele, National Taxi Alliance (NTA) spokesperson is one the first taxi leaders who spoke out recently, stating that his organisation is not aligned to any political party.
“The National Taxi Alliance remains apolitical, and its members should exercise their democratic right to vote according to their conscious for a political party of their choice,” he said.
However, Malele cautioned taxi operators to remember those political parties that are friendly to the cause of the taxi operators when they get to the voting polls.
“The NTA stance is that people should remember those parties that helped it in its darkest hour,” he advised.
Bafana Magagula, SANTACO Strategy Manager, echoed Malele’s sentiments, saying his organization has not made any public pronouncements as to which political party it endorses for its members.
“SANTACO has not issued any public statements with regards to which political party it is endorsing,” said Magagula.
He added that taxi operators, like the rest of South Africans, have “the right to freedom of association to vote for a political party of their choice as individuals.”
