By Charmaine Ndlela
The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has launched a decongestion drive in Pretoria’s CBD, urging taxi associations to enforce discipline among drivers and work with the city to ease traffic congestion and restore order on the roads.
The initiative, launched as part of Transport Month in October, targets illegal stopping, parking and passenger loading by minibus taxis. Operators are being directed to use designated loading zones and holding areas instead of occupying unauthorised spaces along busy roads.
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Greater Tshwane Santaco chairperson Sipho Rasepae said the success of the campaign depended on cooperation between taxi associations, operational managers, drivers and law enforcement authorities.
Addressing representatives of taxi associations, Rasepae urged operators to respect designated holding areas and manage their businesses professionally, warning that a lack of coordination within the industry could undermine efforts to ease congestion in the capital.
“This is our business and we should behave as such as business people,” he said.
Rasepae raised concerns about the number of taxis permitted to stand along certain roads, questioning whether the arrangements had been properly communicated to association executives, particularly following recent leadership changes.
He said inadequate communication between those coordinating operations and association leaders could leave drivers uncertain about the rules they were expected to follow.
“I think the solution would be to always have meetings with your operational managers from all the associations, brief them according to the associations, so that they can implement whatever they discover from there,” Rasepae said.
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He has called for stronger coordination between the regional council and individual associations, emphasising that operational managers had a crucial role to play in communicating decisions and ensuring that drivers complied with agreed arrangements.
“Please help us so that we can help you. You need us, we need you. This working relationship is a must,” he said.
Rasepae also called for an urgent meeting involving senior police officials, the city and other relevant stakeholders to address operational challenges affecting taxi services in the CBD.
He said the regional council had previously sought assistance from security personnel to resolve operational problems but argued that a more coordinated intervention was needed to prevent recurring disruptions.
“We cannot continue like this,” he said, stressing the need for direct engagement between the taxi industry and the relevant authorities.
The regional chairperson expressed frustration with what he described as inconsistent support from the government. He said the taxi industry played a critical role in transporting commuters but did not always receive the cooperation needed to operate effectively.
He warned that unresolved challenges could undermine confidence in regional leadership, particularly when associations were expected to cooperate with authorities while struggling to get assistance with their own operational concerns.
Despite these frustrations, Rasepae acknowledged that the taxi industry also had a responsibility to address problems within its own ranks.
He called on associations to ensure that drivers behaved professionally, treated passengers with care and complied with the rules governing public transport operations.
Rasepae also raised the possibility of introducing additional driver screening measures, saying professionalism and accountability were essential to protecting the industry’s reputation and ensuring commuter safety.
The decongestion drive comes as traffic congestion continues to affect major public transport corridors in central Pretoria, including Lilian Ngoyi Street, where heavy taxi activity disrupts traffic flow, particularly during peak hours.
The City of Tshwane has identified land parcels that could be used by taxi associations as holding facilities. They are intended to reduce the number of taxis occupying public streets while waiting to load passengers, help improve traffic movement and create a more orderly operating environment.
The initiative is being implemented by Santaco Greater Tshwane in collaboration with the law enforcement authorities, government, business and community stakeholders.
The campaign forms part of the broader objectives of the Transport Month programme, which is being held under the theme “Building a safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable transport system”.
It coincides with the implementation of the Revised National Road Safety Strategy 2026–2030, which was recently approved by Cabinet.
The strategy provides the government’s framework for reducing road fatalities by 45% by 2029 and 50% by 2030.
