Lift clubs – only one found legal

A probe into Tongaat’s lift clubs revealed that only one operator had a valid permit, the rest were all illegal operators.

The department of transport’s (DoT) Sbusisio Nhleko dropped the bombshell at a meeting between lift club operators, taxi, and bus associations at the Tongaat Central Library on Thursday night, October 8.

Nhleko said out of 36 identified lift club vehicles, only six had permits linked to their vehicles’ registration numbers of which five had lapsed and only one was current.

Taxi and bus associations recently locked horns with lift clubs over routes, with the associations claiming the lift clubs were operating illegally and undermining their business.

DoT’s Sbusiso Ntuli said some lift club operators may not have been aware that their service was not legal and he hoped people would be enlightened and empowered by the meeting.

Questioning the reason for taxi drivers’ outcry, lift clubs representative, Chris Sunker argued that many lift club operators had been active along side taxi drivers for 15 to 20 years and that no new additions have been made to the routes in question. He also said many operators who had applied for permits as far back as ten years ago had never got a response from the DoT.

Ntuli did not accept the lift clubs’ excuses.

“Illegal services have to stop immediately; we cannot even debate the illegal matters. Just because you have been doing it for 20 years does not make it legal,” said Ntuli and invited applicants who said they never heard back from DoT to present their application receipts so that the matter could be followed up.

Nthuli said the moment a transport service was advertised or payment or a reward received, it was no longer a lift club and the driver had to apply for a permit. He said a transport service was only legal if it had permission from the DoT.

Tongaat SAPS’s Major Viscount Msomi asked the community to help identify illegal operators and report them to the police.

“Nobody is above the law,” said Msomi, cautioning that the consequences of non-compliance would not be pretty.

Many of the drivers operating illegal lift clubs reacted positively and approached Nhleko and Ntuli for advice.

Regarding the issue of licensing being put on hold, Ntuli said no new metered taxi and minibus type permits were being issued for Ethekwini until further notice.