The association said its drivers would not be found in the classroom, so it wanted teachers to stay in their lane.
The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has seemingly reversed a decision to stop motorists and teachers from giving other people lifts.
This after a circular was distributed online, purportedly by the Mhlumayo Taxi Association in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, and bearing SANTACO’s logo.
The note said that from the 16th of February, the association would “not allow unregistered vehicles and teachers from loading others”.
“A person can drive in their own car without a problem, but if they have others, they will not pass.”
It ended its notice by saying its drivers would not be found in the classroom, so it wanted teachers to stay in their lane and not “disturb our work”.
The note was reportedly in response to teachers allegedly buying large vehicles to transport multiple other teachers to schools in the area, a move the association saw as riding on their turf.
The notice still drew backlash online, especially amid other unconfirmed reports this week of taxi operators and patrollers fining motorists thousands of rands for transporting family members.
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SANTACO responds
SANTACO acknowledged the circular and said it was “being attended to.”
“A retraction will be issued in no time,” it added.
Social media users slammed the council, claiming it had failed to address the issue multiple times before.
“You’ve been attending this matter for the past 10 years,” said one user. Another warned that the country is “currently an erupting volcano”.
“We have important matters to deal with; do not add to our problems as a country. Do not challenge your customers because you will lose.”
‘Picking up people is our business’
The long-standing issue erupted in 2024 when an Mpumalanga taxi association patroller allegedly drove off with a motorist’s car, demanding R2 500 to return it, after the owner offered to give his neighbour a lift.
The council responded by openly warning motorists to avoid picking up hitchhikers on taxi routes.
“Picking up people on the road is our business. We have a licence to do that, and they [motorists] don’t have a licence to pick up people,” Santaco chairperson in Mpumalanga, Fanyana Sibanyoni, told 702 at the time.
National spokesperson, Rebecca Phala, said taxi patrollers were meant to protect taxis and passengers, not harass motorists, but also shifted blame to those offering lifts.
“The message we want South Africans to understand is, if you just load people just because you’re trying to get petrol money or something, it’s wrong. You’re not supposed to be doing that.”
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