Mbalula will not challenge DA’s application against lockdown regulations, court told
He added from next week, he was going to outline how the government planned to offer financial support to the struggling taxi industry.
Taxis associations have been forced to limit their vehicles to 70% capacity to adhere to the government’s physical distancing regulations.
“As a hard-hit industry, the government has considered and is now dealing with the modalities to say how we going to contribute and how much per taxi for the duration of the lockdown.
“In principle, we have agreed to financially support the taxi industry. In the next coming week, I should be able to come back and report on the details, including financial support.”
READ | Taxi industry will likely be one of few beneficiaries
Mbalula noted the industry’s “sacrifice” in fighting the spread of Covid-19.
“The economic battering that they have experienced and come across daily, they have understood that with the sacrifice they have made, we are fighting a common enemy called coronavirus.
ALSO READ | Covid-19: What should public transport look like?
“I know other people when we talk about relief and financial support to the taxi industry say I am mad and why do I support people who are not regulated and don’t pay tax. They ask us why do we spend our taxpayers’ money to support this industry.
“I have news for them that I am in the process of regulating, transforming and formalising the industry. By now, we could have had an indaba where some decision that I intended to take to transform the industry would have been endorsed would have been endorsed,” said Mbalula.
