Elected office bearer's personal interest and taxi council and associations' public interest at a crossroad in South Africa

Abstract

The Commission of Inquiry on Taxi Violence, which was convened in Western Cape in 2006 and in Gauteng in 2021, underscored that elected office bearers, taxi councils (mother bodies) and primary taxi associations are currently confronted by challenges that jeopardise the governance and stability of the taxi industry. On the back of this, the current paper explores the relationship between the personal interest of elected office bearers and the collective interests of taxi councils and primary taxi associations. In addition, this paper reviews the formation and the roles and regulations of taxi associations and taxi councils in today's taxi industry ‒ SANTACO, the National Taxi Alliance and UNCEDO. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper integrates qualitative interviews with 15 key industry stakeholders, and quantitative surveys with 15 key industry stakeholders and analyses of relevant documents. The current paper’s findings shows a troubling correlation between the personal interests of elected officials and the operational challenges faced by both the taxi council and taxi associations, resulting in inefficiencies and growing public dissatisfaction. The implications of these findings underscore the urgent need for transparent governance structures and accountability mechanisms to reconcile personal and public interests. However, the paper is limited as it focused on specific regions within South Africa and potential biases among interview subjects. Future research papers should broaden the geographical scope and explore the role of community engagement in addressing conflicts of interest within the industry.