The revised taxi recapitalisation programme to remove the remaining 63 241 unroadworthy or noncompliant taxis from South Africa’s roads was launched by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, in Elandsfontein, Ekurhuleni, on Friday.

The initial taxi recapitalisation programme, which was launched in 2001, had been aimed at getting 135 894 unroadworthy and illegal taxis off the roads and to provide capital for owners to replace the vehicles and continue to provide public transport services.

A total of 72 653 taxis had been scrapped and R4.4-billion in scrapping allowances had been paid out by the end of September 2018. The taxi scrapping allowance was R124 000 per taxi, Department of Transport director-general Mathabatha Mokonyama said.

Mbalula urged recipients to reinvest the money to diversify their businesses or to buy new, compliant taxis to provide safe public transport.

The revised five-year programme would be extended to all provinces and service provider Anthus Service 84 had a customised truck with which it could move its baling machines to where they were needed.

Anthus’ Elandsfontein site also served parts of Mpumalanga, the North West and Limpopo.

The programme also covered illegally converted panel vans, of which there were an estimated 1 914. However, once the Minister issued a formal notice on taxi standards, following engagement with taxi industry organisations, these vehicles would be removed and scrapped without a refund.

One thousand of these illegally converted panel vans were already being scrapped.

Meanwhile, Mbalula said the government remained firmly committed to uplifting the taxi industry and creating opportunities for it to grow, but added that the industry had to adhere to regulations and standards and contribute to the country’s tax base.

The current phase of the taxi recapitalisation programme will be undertaken through a special purpose vehicle company, which will be jointly owned by Anthus Service 84 (40%) and the taxi industry (60%). Anthus Service 84 will be the operational partner.

The programme has already received and processed 1 464 taxis. With the current budget, the programme expects to scrap about 3 000 vehicles each year.

Mbalula, guests and media were given a tour of the scrapping process and witnessed the baling of two taxis.

Mbalula inspected taxis that had been accepted for scrapping and strongly expressed the need for taxis to be roadworthy to provide safe public transport for the working class and people of the country.