Women take the steering wheel by storm
IN the mostly male-dominated public transport industry, few women have made such an impact in the taxi business like Hulisani Grace Netshiozwi.
Moyahabo Mabeba
LIMPOPO – IN the mostly male-dominated public transport industry, few women have made such an impact in the taxi business like Hulisani Grace Netshiozwi.
Hailing from Lulekani in Limpopo, she is the chairperson of the federated long and short distance taxi association (FELDTA).
After her appointment, her main objective was to fast track transformation and bring gender equality to this predominantly male industry.
“There is a huge gap in terms of gender equality in the public transport industry. What is even more worrying is that the majority of our male counterparts still undermine us in key decision-making processes.
“Men still see us as inferior and we want to break this circle. Most of us who have been in this industry long enough, know how annoying these politics can be. We know for a fact that gender equality in the taxi industry cannot be achieved overnight, but we will not rest until we are taken seriously,” says Netshiozwi.
Netshiozwi joined the taxi industry back in 2003 and has already held key leadership positions.
“It is our duty as leaders in the public transport business to ensure that women all over the country are taken seriously in their respective associations. Most importantly, it is women who should stop thinking about themselves in a lowly way. The sooner our female colleagues realise that they are capable of playing key roles in the transformation agenda, the better,” says Netshiozwi.
Appealing for unity among women, Netshiozwi said, “As we are aware that gender equality sounds more like a dream in the taxi industry, we can accomplish this by standing as a united front. We are not naïve to the fact that we are going to encounter pig-headed men who will constantly undermine our intelligence.
“Our role as women is as crucial as those of our male counterparts. If we are united, we will be taken seriously and be granted a voice to raise our concerns. We must also be vigilant towards manipulative men who will try to mislead us.”
FELDTA provincial chairperson, Reuben Thaba, says that they as the association’s leaders are committed to the transformation agenda that calls for gender equality.
