The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has promised to increase compliance while maximising opportunities for South Africa’s taxi associations over the next five years.
This comes after Santaco in Gauteng re-elected Midday Mali as its provincial chairperson, who then outlined the representative body’s plans for the coming year and beyond.
“The vision for Santaco Gauteng in 2026 is to make sure that all the associations in all the regions of Gauteng comply with the constitution of Santaco, and comply again in terms of reporting within the structure,” he said.
Mali explained that all affiliates are obliged to report the financial position of their associations under their region.
Away from its own constitution and compliance, Santaco has committed to complying with all processes brought before it.
According to Mali, this includes formalisation, innovation, and ensuring that taxi operators in Gauteng comply with all strategies and policies put in place within the public transport sector.
Actively engaging with the government is also high on his list of objectives for the year.
To address commuter safety, Mali said Santaco will continue with daily Operation Hlokomela activations across the province.
These are conducted at taxi ranks and along major routes to check vehicle roadworthiness, promote driver behaviour, and ensure compliance, aiming to reduce taxi-related accidents and fatalities.
Santaco is also committed to ensuring training takes place within all of its structures.
Mali added that the council hopes to ensure all of its associations understand its operations, work together, and ensure that their operators are licensed and operating legally.
The chairperson called on all taxi operators to no longer focus only on their own taxi, but to start considering their role in public transport as a whole.
Developments in the industry
During the latter part of 2025, the Department of Transport announced plans to develop a smart ticketing tap-and-go payment system that will be used on all public transport, including taxis.
The department has approached the private sector for assistance in implementing such a system.
It formally invited ideas and issued requests for information, allowing the private sector to invest in state-owned infrastructure.
The hope is for a new system to eliminate queues and paper-based tickets, reduce the need for cash, ease public transport, and simplify the daily commute.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy called on the private sector to make the plan a reality, noting that many first-world countries already utilise similar systems with all-in-one smart ticket accounts for most public transport.
Santaco has also previously welcomed the development of cashless systems.
Further improving its compliance and solidifying its commitment to safety, the taxi council is looking to introduce a system of cameras and breathalysers to stop its drivers from drunk driving.
Santaco president Motlhabane Tsebe said the lives of customers are very important to the organisation, which is why it plans to implement the safety feature.
“Santaco must intensify road safety advocacy and comprehensive industry training across its full ecosystem, including drivers, marshals, patrollers, schedulers, and administrative staff,” he said.
Speaking on a provincial level, Mali added, “As a province, we have plans to modernise and digitalise our industry because we need to move with the times, and move according to the way our nation is moving.”
Loading ...
