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- Automotive
- IOL News
KZN Transport Department responds to viral posts about Santaco's action, claims denounced as false
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has said the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in KZN has denounced social media posts which claimed that the body had warned of a limit on passengers in private vehicles. Santaco said the claims were completely false. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has said it is illegal for anyone to stop cars, pull out passengers and force them to use taxis. This comes after the department responded to viral social media posts which claimed that the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) was warning motorists not to have more than one passenger in their vehicles. Commenting on social media posts alleging that 'Santaco members have blocked roads and that South Africans can't have more than one passenger in their cars - whether they are kids, family, friends or colleagues', the department said Santaco in KZN denied knowledge of the matter. 'We have contacted Santaco in KwaZulu-Natal. And the organisation has denied knowing the existence of such activities and has distanced itself from such illegal operations,' the department's statement said. The department's spokesperson Ndabe Sibiya also shared a media statement from Santaco which said the claims were 'completely false and have no basis in fact'. 'We urge members of the public to refrain from spreading or believing unverified information, particularly on social media as it may incite unnecessary panic and confusion. Santaco remains committed to operating transparently and lawfully, in the interest of all transport users and stakeholders,' the Santaco KZN statement said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Regarding another matter on public transport, the department said it was aware of a letter from the Klipriver Scholar Transport office which had warned that any private vehicle found carrying schoolchildren will be impounded. The department said that in October last year, this matter came under discussion in a meeting convened by the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma and attended by KZN provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Santaco. The department said the MEC has mandated the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) in the department to work with the police on the matter. 'PRE is responsible for monitoring and overseeing public transport within the province. As guided by the National Land Transport Act, the PRE handles operating licences for public transport vehicles and other related regulatory functions.' THE MERCURY
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Human Settlements department seeks additional R128 million for flood victims' accommodation
Flood victims sit with their belongings in the Durban CBD yesterday. They were evicted from the hotel they were staying after the Human Settlements department failed to pay for their accommodation. Image: SIBONELO NGCOBO / Independent Newspapers Human Settlements needs an additional R128 million to continue accommodating the flood victims who are currently living in hotels and other private accommodations across Durban. It has spent approximately R185 million on about five or six accommodations, including hotels throughout the city that are housing the displaced families since 2022. The department revealed this yesterday after approximately 189 individuals and 64 families who were being accommodated at the Bayside Hotel in Durban were evicted on Wednesday night due to non-payment for their accommodation. It was not immediately clear how much was owed at this one hotel and whether the families in the other accommodation facilities were also at risk. The department confirmed yesterday afternoon that new accommodation had been found for those evicted from the Bayside Hotel. Ndabe Sibiya, the spokesperson for the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said the MEC had urgently flown to Gauteng yesterday to meet with the National Minister of Human Settlements to resolve the eviction of flood victims from the Bayside Hotel due to delayed payments. 'There has been a breakthrough. The MEC met with Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane and received guidance from the Minister of Finance. We wish to indicate that we have found a solution and the necessary approvals." Sibiya added that the department has already paid R185 million for self-catering and accommodation for 1,200 families in about five to six hotels across Durban, and now requires an additional R128 million. He detailed some of the challenges that the department has been alerted to regarding some individuals accommodated in private establishments. 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Next Stay Close ✕ He mentioned that they had been receiving complaints from owners of these establishments that some of the people are unruly and they do not want to accommodate them anymore. He added that the department had also conducted a verification process to ensure that the people benefiting are legitimate and had found that some individuals had been abusing the system. Furthermore, the government had built permanent houses for victims, but as soon as they moved to their new homes, others were sneaking into these rented accommodations. He said another challenge they are faced with is resistance from communities where land had been identified to build houses. 'We met with the Human Rights Commission last week and presented this matter. We could have built houses for some victims on identified state-owned land, such as in Shallcross and other areas, but communities there chased away contractors who were beginning to build. The reality is that the government cannot rebuild on unsuitable land that saw homes being washed away during floods,' Sibiya concluded. One of the evicted individuals told a TV news channel about their trauma. 'We have not been told what is happening. We were put in here, and today we were put out, and we are sleeping on the street. All we have been told is that we will be taken to a community hall. We are not told how long we will be staying in those community halls. It's not right that we could be moved from a house to a community hall.' The DA in eThekwini said in a statement that on Monday it will announce bold steps it is taking against the municipality following the displacement of flood victims and the overall collapse of the city. DA councillor Zamani Khuzwayo expressed deep concern about the eviction, calling it an inexcusable humanitarian failure. The DA blamed the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the eThekwini Municipality for the crisis. In response, Themba Mvubu, the EFF chair of the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee in eThekwini, pushed back. He stated, 'These victims were booked into the hotel by the National Department of Human Settlements.' THE MERCURY
