Cape Town - The new man in the hot seat of all transport-related issues in the Western Cape has received the blessings of taxi associations.
Isaac Sileku was appointed to the position of Mobility MEC in June, taking over from Ricardo Mackenzie, who was redeployed to Cultural Affairs and Sport during a cabinet reshuffle by Premier Alan Winde.
Public relations officer for the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), Makhosandile Tumana, said the MEC pledged to collaborate with them.
“He committed that he wants to work with us, we are really appreciative to have someone like him.
“Someone who isn’t scared to say that we can work together,” he said.
“For us as an industry, there is no need to have hard feelings with our government, we want to work hand in hand with them.”
The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) said they had not yet met with the new MEC, but hoped for a fruitful relationship.
Cata spokesperson, Nkululeko Sityebi, said there will always be challenges, but hoped they could be resolved quickly.
The provincial government recently negotiated the reopening of the minibus taxi route B97 between Mbekweni in Paarl and Bellville, in 2022.
Due to conflict between competing taxi associations – the Cata Boland Taxi Association and the Paarl Alliance Taxi Association, affiliated to Codeta meaning the route was closed for 18 months.
“We are not saying that it must happen overnight. The relationship should be strengthened, as well on our side. We promised that we are going to work with him,” Sityebi said.
According to Tumana, the association had already discussed with the MEC a programme that will function similarly to the Red and Blue Dot projects.
“If ever the minister can try to push those kinds of things, maybe the friendship between him and the industry can be a good thing. We wish so,” Tumana said.
Earlier this week, Sileku was formally welcomed to the Mini-Bus Taxi Task Team (MBTTT).
In the meeting, Sileku was briefed on the main issues the task team and its subcommittees had been discussing.
The task team comprises representatives of Santaco-WC, the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town.
Attempts to get comment from the MEC were unsuccessful by deadline.