WATCH | MEC rejects ranks plea ‘unless there’s unity’

Eastern  Cape transport MEC Weziwe Tikana has rejected pleas from Mthatha residents and taxi operators to re-open all the taxi ranks that had been closed down by Police Minister Bheki Cele earlier this year.

Speaking during a stakeholder dialogue session at the Mthatha Airport today, she said government will not reconsider opening any of the ranks until members of the two rival associations, Uncedo Service Taxi Association and Border Alliance Taxi Association, can learn to work together in harmony.

She said although the peace agreement thrashed out between government and them had put an end to having an association operating alone at any of the taxi ranks, they had defaulted from that.

"If you go to Chartam [Rank] you find Border and in another rank you find members of Uncedo alone," she said.

"They have to work together and show unity."

The session was hosted by Tikana and facilitated by Daily Dispatch editor-in-chief Sibusiso Ngalwa.

While it went well for the better part of the day, things got heated at some stage with some of the audience members shouting that they wanted the ranks reopened.

But a tough-talking Tikana told them that the same intolerance they were showing was the same intolerance they were encountering during meetings with the two associations.