It was all celebration when the Local Taxi Association (Lota) received a bakkie from Toyota. This was a sign to seal the relationship the two parties have had for a long time.

Mr Ezekiel Kgule of Toyota said that the support they get from the local associations goes a long way and they really appreciate the support.

He added to say the members of the association need not go to Gauteng to buy taxis because they have the best deals like any other Toyota branch. “Your support is very important to us and we will try to give you the best deals and the best service. We also have s good team of salespeople and they can answer any questions you might have. We can even design packages for you. We also recognise the role you play during unrest by protecting local businesses and cleaning after protests. No business was looted last year because you were there patrolling the streets. We believe the relationship we have is still going a long way. As a token of appreciation we are presenting you with the bakkie, we believe the bakkie will help you a lot.”

Mr Simphiwe Sibanyoni of the South African National Taxi Council (Santanco) Nkangala Region chairman says he was happy with the partnership and believes that local businesses should grow together because they must face challenges together and share information.

Mr Victor Matheba of Standard Bank Taxi Finance said taxi days are important because they enable business partners to share ideas and added to say that business should be localised.

He advises the members to always talk to the bank if they encounter problems.

Mr Gab Ngomane, the chairman of Lota says he had always wanted to be a taxi driver while working at Eskom and was able to buy his own taxi.

Ngomane explained that since taking over the chairmanship together with his executive, he has brought a lot of changes to the association. He said: “We work as a team and we have a plan; we are thinking beyond taxis and we need to grow the industry. We have brought trust within our members and everything is transparent. We have partnered with Eskom and some of our taxis have contracts and doing well. We have an in-house finance scheme to help our struggling members. We have an open-door policy and members are now making profits from the business. We appreciate the gift from Toyota and we are still going to travel the journey together.

The event was graced by soccer legends; Edwards ‘Magents’ Motale, Happy Jele, Lucky Legwathi, Surprise Moriri and Jabulane Shongwe.

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