The Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is calling for the minibus taxi industry to come forward with information that will help her investigations into how panel vans were illegally converted into minibus taxis for public transport.

“Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane has called on taxi operators that have knowingly or inadvertently acquired Toyota Quantum panel vans that have allegedly been converted illegally into minibus taxis to approach her office.

“It has come to Adv. Mkhwebane’s attention that unscrupulous businesses sell such vehicles to taxi operators in hard cash‚ as opposed to credit‚ to evade the stringent measures that are able to detect and thwart this fraudulent practice‚” her office said on Wednesday.

“We call on all the affected taxi operators who bought such illegally converted vehicles from 2005 to date to approach the Public Protector’s offices in the provinces and at head office‚” it said‚ adding that the call applie to vehicles that have been bought as new or used cars as well as those that have been acquired through auctions.

The investigation was launched in 2012 following a complaint that the vehicles in question were modified‚ allegedly‚ by manufacturers‚ Importers and builders (MIBs)‚ and converted into minibus taxis to carry passengers despite not being safe for that purpose.

It was alleged that such vehicles did not meet government’s safety regulations‚ national standards and requirements in respect of specifications and as such‚ were not legally operating as taxis. A further allegation was that the taxis concerned contributed to various motor vehicle accidents as they were said to be structurally unsafe and unstable.

In the past‚ the Department of Transport admitted to registering more than 2‚000 dangerous “pseudo-Quantums” for use on the country’s roads‚ despite warnings from the manufacturer that they were unsafe for human transport.

The admission was made during a hearing conducted by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela into the conversion of panel vans into minibus taxis.

Complainant Hennie de Beer said the conversions were unsafe as the chassis and floor of the vehicles were weak because they were built to carry goods and not people.

The inquiry also heard that private companies‚ with links to car dealerships‚ were responsible for the conversions.

Taxi owners‚ who were sold the panel vans during the government’s taxi recapitalisation drive‚ thought they were buying safe new Quantum Ses’ fikile models. Instead‚ the inquiry heard‚ they were sold vehicles made by Toyota to transport goods.

Toyota issued a warning in 2009 to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications to ensure the vehicles were tested to ascertain they met safety standards.