Moleps taxi drivers down tools

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Wednesday August 1, 2012 00:00

 

Almost all the taxis in the principal Kweneng town were off the street throughout the morning yesterday as taxis operators protested a decision of transport inpsectors to enforce strict rules to drop passengers off at the doorstep of their destinations despite road conditions and the lack of a taxi rank.

The taxis operators used Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School as an assembly point to await conclusion of the issue at a kgotla meeting addressed by transport inspectors.They attempted to boo down Kagiso Akanyang of Transport Inspectorate in the presence of the Paramount Chief of Bakwena, Kgosi Kgari.The operators accuse Akanyang, who was only recently transferred to Moloepolole, of fuelling conflict between them and commuters by insisting that passengers are to be dropped off on the doorstep of their destinations, after holding exclusive meetings with commuters. 

The chairman of Molepolole Taxi Association, Kabelo Motshegwa, was fuming when called to speak on behalf of taxis operators. 'We have been working well with other inspectors until the arrival of Akanyang,' Motshegwa said.'She has been going around addressing commuters that a taxi should deliver passengers on their doorsteps, forgetting that there are no proper roads in Molepolole.' He said an unnamed official from Transport Inspectorate in Gaborone had met with them some time ago, and agreed that because road conditions were bad in Molepolole, taxis may take passengers only as close as possible to their destinations.

It was agreed in subsequent meetings with transport inspectors that the issue would be re-visited. 'We are surprised that the inspectors should now bring up issues that will effectively put us at cross purposes with passengers,' Motshegwa said.Akanyang had earlier told the meeting that in terms of transport rules and regulations, taxi operators must deliver passengers to their doorsteps irrespective of road conditions. A taxi operator, Dikutlwe Iketseng, said they were being exploited by passengers because Molepolole currently had no taxi rank, resulting witg taxis going 'distances longer than what is recommended by the transport regulations without charging for them'.

On the other hand, Akanyang said when she arrived in Molepolole, she noticed that passengers did not know their rights and she took it upon herself to educate them. She insisted that taxis drop passengers on their doorsteps and that she was only enforcing the law.  But as Akanyang spoke, the meeting was becoming disorderly. Kgosi Kgari eventually saved the situation by appealing to both parties to negotiate further. Inspector Maoto of the Traffic Department of Botswana Police Service also called on the parties to meet and set a date for further negotiations. Following the meeting that went on beyond midday, the operators resumed work, much to relief of commuters who had been stranded at bus stops throughout Molepolole.