Public transport owners vow to take full control of business

By Bahle Gama

Public transport owners have admitted that they are currently taking instructions from their employees, however, this will be changing soon as they will be putting their foot down and make changes.

In an interview, Chairman of the National Road Transport Council (NRTC) Chairman Magesi Dlamini stated that it was clear that as owners they were taking orders on how to run their business from public transport operators and drivers which is something that must be addressed urgently because it is costing them business.

“In the talks we are having as Council, this is one of the things which we believe needs to be addressed immediately,” he said,

Dlamini was responding to questions on how their employees ended up having an upper hand and calling the shots on how and when they will work, which he admitted that it was a situation that they had allowed to spiral out of control.
“Order will be restored soon,” he said.

In response to whether the owners and government had reached an amicable decision in terms of reimbursement in the event of threats made that could result in them parking their vehicles, he said currently the two stakeholders were still having discussions with the hope that a concise decision would soon be taken.

“It’s unclear for now because the current situation is not easy. In the event that we are terrified enough to put our vehicles on the road, the government will put hers, and, in the process, we will be losing business,” he said.

The Chairman said that again their employees being adamant about following orders of people who are not their employer plays a role in that account.

“As owners, we are in limbo because when they decide not to work, we can’t even drive the vehicles ourselves because more often at times, an owner has more than one vehicle and we cannot drive them all at once can we?” he questioned.

Dlamini further stated that as owners, commuters are their top priority and any inconvenience caused by their industry affects a lot of chains and could result in job losses because not all employers are understanding such situations.

“So, we have to ensure that all the contributing factors in this matter are addressed and tended to in time before any further damage is done to the industry,” he said.
He insisted that the matter between the owners and their employees will be put to bed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Thulani Mkhaliphi echoed Dlamini that commuters are a top priority, adding that “in everything we need to ensure their safety and smooth arrival to their respective destinations, especially those that are employed.”

The PS stated that they need proactive systems and currently, the ministry and the transport owners “have an amazing relationship”.

In response to whether both parties had decided on whether the owners will be compensated in the event their transport is damaged when threats are made, he stated that they had not reached a decision yet.

“We have sat down and had discussions but we have not reached that decision yet, but the one thing we have all agreed on is putting commuters first. Come rain or sunshine, they should never be affected by anything,” said Mkhaliphi.

When questioned if privatising the public transport system would work for the country, both the PS and Chairman opted not to respond to the question.