Govt hosts taxi women seminar

Johannesburg – At a provincial government seminar for women in the minibus taxi industry in Braamfontein on
Monday, Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo said women in the sector can only be
empowered through transforming the business.
Women taxi operators had called for creation of a platform to help them engage with government on issues
affecting them in the sector.
Mamabolo said the meeting came on the back of the Provincial Taxi Summit, which made resolutions to
transform the taxi industry, which faces problems that include violence and patriarchal tendencies.
“Work to help corporatise the taxi industry would be fruitless if women, a majority of whom enter the sector as
widows, are left out. Women should lead in changing the behaviour of drivers they employ, as this would help
reduce road fatalities. Provincial government, stakeholders including the taxi industry, will hold an important Road
Safety Seminar in November as part of seeking measures to combat deaths that occur on our roads,” he said.
He invited the women in the taxi industry to work together with government in seeking solutions to combat road
accidents. “Many accidents could be avoided through change in driver behaviour. The taxi industry, which
transports 70 percent of passengers in our province, should lead in the campaign for road safety. An intervention
from women operators could give us a lasting solution,” Mamabolo said.
The event was part of the department’s Transport Month programme, which seeks to promote Gauteng as the city
region of smart mobility. As part of this plan the department prioritises road safety, decongesting the road network,
depolluting the roads and finding smart technologies to improve transport.