No date for opening of new taxi rank
The Tshwane administration taking over and lockdown are among the reasons given for why the new taxi rank looks like a 'ghost town'.
Four months on and the newly finished R20-million taxi rank opposite Centurion mall in South Street still hasn’t been opened and remains unused.
“The opening date is still unknown,” former local ward councillor Peter Sutton told Rekord of the 10 000sq/m facility, located on the corner of South Street and Hendrik Verwoerd Drive.
Sutton was a driving force behind the state-of-the-art taxi rank, which was meant to replace the “informal” rank used by taxis for the past 15 years or so.
“There could be a few reasons why the new rank has not opened yet,” Sutton speculated.
He said perhaps the final paperwork, such as the occupational certificate, had not been issued yet.
READ MORE: Tshwane taxi ranks gets Covid-19 clean-up
Due to the ongoing power struggle of the political parties in Tshwane, local councillors were stripped of their duties.
Sutton said the plan was to open the rank in February, but this was postponed because the entrance to the rank had to be adjusted.
“Shortly after that we entered into lockdown because of Covid-19.”
He said plans to provide shelter at the new rank, which can hold 180 taxis, were also on the cards.
“The taxi drivers are in general not a problem at the old rank. The homeless are those responsible for the petty crimes in the area.”
Other problems at the rank include theft and drugs.
Sutton said homeless people would have to be moved to make way for a new development in the area.
READ MORE: Countdown to opening of Centurion taxi rank
Recently the local taxi industry and commuters were beset by other problems as well.
Thousands of commuters were left stranded on Monday as the industry embarked on a strike in Gauteng to protest government’s proposed “insufficient” relief package for the industry.
This week, the Department of Transport offered taxi owners a once-off payment of R5 000 each in relief, to be distributed by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), to lessen the economic impact of the national lockdown.
Taxi owners have, however, called for a payment of R20 000 each.
At the empty old rank, Rekord spoke to a handful of taxi rank workers, who expressed their excitement and worries about the newly-built rank, mere meters away from the current informal rank.
One of the taxi drivers, who wished to remain anonymous because he was operating during the strike, said he was “very excited” about the new rank.
READ MORE: Construction on “world class” taxi rank delayed
He was worried about “limited” space at the rank and that there was no shelter at the new premises for their vehicles.
Adrian Mohlokonya, better known as “Hosa-boy” who has been washing taxis at the rank for nearly three years, agreed that there was not enough space at the new premises.
“Where will we wash the taxis? Look at all this space we have here [at the informal rank] compared to the new rank,” Mohlokonya explained.
Because there is only enough space for about 180 taxis, Mohlokonya feared that the number of vehicles he washed every day would drop.
“On a good day, I wash about six taxis, but it all depends. I have lost too much; right now, there are no taxis here to wash [because of the strike].”
He works at the rank seven days a week.
Gordon Hood Road serves as the main entrance to the new taxi rank.
The rank houses an office building for taxi associations, 23 informal kiosks for traders and public ablution blocks.
The rank can accommodate up to 20 000 commuters daily.
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