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State taken to court over taxi plan

HAD ENOUGH: National Taxi Alliance members at a meeting in Johannesburg yesterday where the alliance decided to opt for legal action against the taxi recapitalisation programme. Pic. Veli Nhlapo. 18/01/2007. © Sowetan.
HAD ENOUGH: National Taxi Alliance members at a meeting in Johannesburg yesterday where the alliance decided to opt for legal action against the taxi recapitalisation programme. Pic. Veli Nhlapo. 18/01/2007. © Sowetan.

Namhla Tshisela

Namhla Tshisela

The National Taxi Alliance (NTA) is taking the government to court over its taxi recapitalisation programme and has threatened to go on a national strike if all else fails.

The NTA reached the resolution at a meeting with its affiliates at the Kliprivierberg Recreational Centre, south of Johannesburg, yesterday.

The alliance stood firm on its demand to scrap the recapitalisation programme, claiming it would cripple the nation's taxi industry.

The NTA said the new 14 and 22 seater minibuses and midibuses proposed by the government were unaffordable and expensive to maintain compared with the current Siyaya model used by their members.

The alliance also argued that the R50000 offered by the government to replace the old minibuses did not cover the running and maintenance costs.

"The new vehicles are imported, making their availability and that of spare parts a big problem," said Alpheus Mlalazi, secretar- general of the NTA.

The alliance also criticised the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), the only taxi umbrella body recognised by the government that has approved of the programme.

The alliance said that the only reason Santaco supported the programme was a 30 percent share in the programme offered by the government.

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