By: Hilma Tuukondjele
Transport ministry spokesperson, Julius Ngwedha, has said that the Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) has no authority to apply for a tax fare increase.
This is at the back of the union expressing that it wants the ministry of works to increase the taxi fare by 40%, and that drivers are willing to down their tools for the increase.
Ngwedha said that the operators or people who transport passengers and have permits are the ones who have the right to apply to the ministry and request for an increase in taxi and bus fares.
“We cannot negotiate with NTTU because they do not qualify to negotiate with the ministry on it,” he said.
Ngwedha also said if the taxi fare increases to 40%, it would be too much because a comparison needs to be made based on the applications.
Earlier this week, NTTU president, Werner Januarie, argued that the increase is justifiable because fuel has increased between seven to eight times since the last taxi fares were increased.
“A taxi is a business, not a charity, and if one litre of petrol costs N$22.80 and the taxi price remains at N$13, it means that we are running the business at a loss, and no business person would want to run their business at a loss, and every business person wants to make a profit,” he explains.
He added that fuel is not the only element that should be considered but that depreciation of tyres and other vehicular engine components must be factored in.
“One tyre costs around N$800 and a vehicle runs on four tyres which is another cost, a car needs to be serviced every two to three months and the price of Engen oil is also supposed to be considered, ” he said.
Januarie further stressed that taxi drivers also suffer due to the economic downturns and that society should not be put on the taxi drivers’ shoulders.
“It’s not the taxi drivers’ fault the economy is down, neither is the arrival of Covid-19 due to the driver’s doing. Corruption, theft and looting of government resources is not at the insistence of taxi drivers, not getting paid well or underpaid is not because of taxi drivers. Taxi drivers can’t be made responsible for all society’s problems and are not part of the mismanagement and administration in government,” he expressed.
He said that the negotiations with the transport ministry are still at an early stage.
In the meantime, Taxi drivers said they are willing to go on strike since the fuel prices are increasing, and that they have families to feed.
They also said that with the passengers that pay N$10 instead of N$13, if the prices increase, they will still be able to gain since they would add from N$ 10 to at least N$ 15.
A taxi driver from Okahao said that customers are few, and that sometimes he cannot leave passengers behind even though they don’t have enough money because he also needs the money for his car and his family.
Another taxi driver, Timoteus Reinhold, said that he needs the increase because petrol is now expensive and that things aren’t going well for him either.
