Jul 29

Written by: SA Taxi News Editor
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 

Presenter: Taxi commuters continue to risk their lives by having to be ferried in unsafe taxis - taxis that do not meet the government safety standard. It is reported that 4 000 illegally converted taxis were operating on South African roads and some may have been used to transport FIFA Confederations Cup fans to stadiums last month despite their questionable safety standards. On Monday we spoke to acting CEO of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, Moses Moeletsi. And he told us that his organisation had begun clamping down on some of the panel van converters or dealers. He joins us on the line. Good morning. Apparently you've been threatened with court action by some in the taxi industry. Is that true?

Moses Moeletsi: No, its not us who are threatened. I think this is running into positive things you know. What is happening is that the taxi owners are suing some of those motor dealers from which they bought those vehicles and they have copied us and I suspect what is going to happen is that the motor dealers now will have to come to the regulator and reveal these body builders.

Presenter: Give me a sense of the companies that are being sued. How many people in the taxi industry have come to you and said we're going to sue these companies?

Moses Moeletsi: I'm not talking on behalf of their lawyers but we saw just one individual company and two letters of demand from four taxis.

Presenter: Where is this company based? Is it against the same company or is it several companies?

Moses Moeletsi: Its only one motor dealer who has been selling these unsafe vehicles.

Presenter: Where are they based?

Moses Moeletsi: They are around Johannesburg, around Gauteng.

Presenter: Okay and you don't have a sense of how many vehicles they sold?

Moses Moeletsi: At this stage we don't. The most important thing here is, the motor dealers must come clean and divulge who are these individuals who are building these vehicles so that we can deal with them. Its easy when they are registered because they'll be deregistered by the Department of Transport. Then they will seize operating in that business. But if they are backyard converters, then the law must take its course.

Presenter: But are these above-board dealers who sold these converted vehicles?

Moses Moeletsi: Yes those are above-board dealers because they are financed by the bank. The banks wouldn't deal with dealers who are not above board.

Presenter: So they sold converted vehicles.

Moses Moeletsi: Not converted vehicles. They sold panel vans. To all intents and purposes, to the regulator those are panel vans. They are not passenger vehicles regardless of whether they are converted or not.

Presenter: What I don't understand is, what are the taxi operators suing the dealers for? For selling them panel vans?

Moses Moeletsi: Yes, for selling them - you see, again there are some fraudulent activities. If you go to buy a passenger vehicle and then you end up in possession of a panel van, some kind of a fraud has been committed there. I believe that the taxi owners have the law on their side to return those vehicles because the licensing department has registered those vehicles as panel vans, not as passenger vehicles.

Presenter: Lets recap now. What do you think needs to happen in the industry to put a stop to this practice of selling converted panel vans to taxi operators that then get used on the roads and do not meet the safety standards that are required?

Moses Moeletsi: Lets start first with the bankers. The banks must not lend any money to any taxi person without the necessary certificate from the regulator declaring that vehicle a taxi, in the first place. The second thing is that the Department of Transport should never allow these vehicles to operate as taxis when they have been registered as panel vans. The third issue is we need to strengthen the law not to allow any further conversion without proper registration with the authorities.

Presenter: Who needs to be prosecuted here?

Moses Moeletsi: I would assume that those who licensed those vehicles as passenger vehicles, when it was clear that they were panel vans. They need to be prosecuted.

Presenter: Now, for people who do not know whether their vehicles are panel vans that have been converted to taxis, where should they go - for those who still want to share more information with you? Where should they get in touch with you?

Moses Moeletsi: In fact quickly, if it is a 16-seater, it is a panel van. So immediately they can return it to their motor dealer. But secondly, they may approach the Department of Transport and the regulator. The regulator will assist them.

Presenter: Where should they get in touch with you?

Moses Moeletsi: 012 428 6069.

Presenter: Thanks very much for talking to us this morning. Moses Moeletsi is the acting CEO of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications