National Taxi Alliance (NTA) Secretary General Alpheus Mlalazi is not your average leader but a seasoned public transport administrator that puts the interests of his members first as he says he wants to “see taxi operators become successful by operating in an environment that is favourable” to his constituency.
Violence and conflict are a common feature in the South African taxi industry and have sadly been since and before the dawn of democracy.
This is a topic that Mlalazi feels strongly about himself; and not so because he agrees with the notion that the sector is violent by nature or deny it has issues altogether, but because as someone who has diligently served the sector for more than four decades and 25 years precisely in his current position as NTA SG, he’s been part of the many trans-formative phases it has undergone, and most importantly the role it has played – and continues to – in promoting and advancing the socioeconomic prosperity of black people.
Sadly, he tells TaxiWorld in an exclusive interview this month. “Many of us choose to focus on something that is not only entirely misguided but is out of the taxi sector’s authority, and even worse badly affects taxi operators just as much as it worries and concerns the public, in particular commuters.
“While we can’t deny that there have been elements of criminality within the taxi industry where you find some individuals engaging in violent acts or are eliminating (killing) others, it is concerning to us that nothing is done by the police to find and arrest these criminals. A lot of taxi operators are vulnerable because their operations are not protected, against those who commit these crimes, and they are losing their lives in the process.
Like every citizen of this country who has a right to life, taxi operators are entitled to this basic right and need to be protected. It is the responsibility of the government to restore order within the taxi industry and ensure that we are safe. As taxi operators, we do not want vigilantism. If an individual comes and shoot at someone, those are criminals, and we want anyone committing any act of violence and commit murders to be found and arrested, but it is not happening. We need well trained investigators to deal with taxi crimes and for proper resources to be made available for this to happen. We believe the government can do better in that regard to ensure our safety and lawlessness within the sector. In essence, as a taxi operator you carry no responsibility, that duty lies with the state, not us.” As for the active role NTA plays in ensuring a positive image, as well as law abiding taxi industry, Mlalazi points out to the association’s constitution, “which prescribe how we must operate. Over and above, we hold regular
workshops which ensure are members are clear on what their rights and responsibilities are.”
In the aftermath of the recently concluded national elections on May 29 and the subsequent swearing in of the newly elected MPs in the coming weeks, Mlalazi is hopeful that the new leadership will be better positioned to deal with all the pressing issues affecting the taxi sector. Top among these issues pertains to the renewing of operating licenses every four to five years for the routes they operate in, as provisioned by the National Land Transport Act.
This, Mlalazi maintains, creates an unfair disadvantage for taxi operators looking to get investors or obtain subsidies for their business. “This regulation is creating a big problem because there’s no sane investor who will want to put their money into something that’s not guaranteed and has been given such a short life span. They need tradable business with valuable returns to invest in. Instead, we want their eligibility to operate to be determined by the value of their business and or vehicles, not on a piece of paper that is so short-lived.”
Another big concern is the state’s reluctance to increase subsidies to minibus taxis, this is even though two thirds of South Africans rely on minibuses as their primary mode of transport, Mlalazi says. “The taxi industry is known as one of the business wonders of our country’s economy with immense opportunity for job creation. Compared to the apartheid era, the industry has been significantly transformed, up to 70% of it, but unfortunately it’s being treated as the stepchild of the transport sector even in the advent of democracy.”
To qualify his argument, he makes mention of one study which found that passengers spend their 90% of their income on other living expenses, and as such they cannot afford taxi fare. “So, we are forced to charge according to that, which in turn affects us, and our livelihood.”
Mlalazi was first appointed as the General Secretary of NTA in 2019, and his work with the association has been so impressive that he has managed to be reappointed every other time and has kept the position ever since. Touching on some of the highlights of his 25-year tenure, he says:
“As NTA we have a group of affiliated taxi organisations whose interests we need to protect and promote. And despite the taxi business continuing to be seen as informal, there are so many outstanding things we have achieved for the betterment of our country and people as an association.
Personally, I have lot of unprecedented projects that I have successfully implemented over the years. One of these is the Siyaya Taxi Financing Project between 2001 and 2008. This was at a time when financial institutions were no longer financing taxis, saying they are risky. It was a successful project that ensured taxi owners are empowered to play an active in our country’s economy and earn a descend living.
My wish even beyond my active involvement as an active member of the taxi industry is to see it become lucrative for all taxi operators, as well see it given the respect it deserves like any other industry.”
Amidst the looming political uncertainty post-elections, which resulted from the shocking aftermath of having the ANC lose its 30-year majority for the first since apartheid end, Mlalazi has reasonable expectations as far the incoming leadership is concerned.
“First I must make it clear, as NTA we’re not going to be taking any political side, we will respect any leader or government of the day. As a sector, we can only hope and trust that they’ll do the right thing and prioritise all our pressing needs and concerns.”
