Allexer Namundjebo
Some taxi drivers in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund say they are not sure that traffic officers will follow the latest directive from Transport Minister Veiko Nekundi.
This comes after Nekundi, during a meeting in Walvis Bay on Tuesday, instructed traffic officers to stop confiscating taxi permits.
He said they have no legal power to do so.
“There is no authority that gives traffic officers the power to confiscate permits. Just like car discs, you can only remove a disc from a car if it is not roadworthy,” Nekundi said.
He also told officers to return any permits or discs they have already taken.
At the same time, Nekundi urged taxi drivers to follow traffic laws.
“Those who are not obeying road traffic rules should be issued with traffic fines or penalties. Drivers should respect traffic officers, and officers should respect drivers. Otherwise, it will be a chaotic situation,” he said.
Taxi driver Mathews Ndadi said he hoped both Nampol and municipal officers would respect the minister’s order.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t attend the meeting, but if that was said, then I am just hoping that the police will comply,” he said.
Ndadi also asked for fairness when it comes to fines based on tyre conditions.
“The other point I have is that the police should also be lenient when giving us tickets, as we are really suffering from unsafe roads. We want to comply, but we can’t be buying new tyres every month,” he said.
In 2023, police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi explained that only a traffic officer appointed under Section 11 of the Road Traffic and Transportation Act 22 of 1999 may act under Regulation 163 of the 2001 Regulations.
She had explained that this regulation allows officers to remove a licence disc if they issue a notice to stop the use of the vehicle and direct it to a testing station.
The notice must name the station and give a deadline of up to 14 days. A copy of the notice and the removed disc must be sent to the testing station.
Another taxi driver, Thomas Rengura, who attended the meeting, said he hoped the traffic departments got the message.
“Sometimes the minister can speak just answering questions, but is the police’s traffic department already aware of what he said?” he asked.
Rengura praised Nekundi’s approach.
“When he (Nekundi) became minister, he has been advocating for us. He also allowed seven-seaters to transport customers on long trips, which is a good thing. We depend on our taxis for survival, and if the police can be on our side, we will not have any problems,” he said.
While permit issues are under the spotlight, many drivers say the poor condition of Walvis Bay’s roads continues to affect their work.
In 2023, taxi drivers, with support from the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters, protested near the Mautamanene fire station in Walvis Bay.
They complained about potholes and high-speed humps that damaged their vehicles and led to fines for unroadworthy cars.
“The road humps are high, and our cars are small. There are potholes everywhere. We hit these potholes and high humps that are causing our lights to go off. Traffic officers just give us fines. We have families to feed, but our money goes into the fines. I had four tickets of N$ 1,500 each at the time,” Josef Tuxab, who was part of the protest, said.
Another driver, Gustav Kandonga, told Windhoek Observer that the fines cut into their income.
“We shared our earnings with tickets. Sometimes we failed to pay the fines and risked imprisonment. That’s why we went on strike. We demanded the municipality fix the roads and reduce the fines,” he said.
Taxi drivers also reported illegal taxis operating during the strike.
They submitted two petitions to the Walvis Bay municipality, but say nothing changed.
Later that year, Mayor Trevino Forbes said the town was ready to start road repairs.
He mentioned plans to bring back an in-house pothole repair team and fix key streets in Kuisebmond and Narraville.
These included Agaat Street, Khomas Hochland Street, Sixteenth Avenue, Johannes Nampala Avenue, Nathaniel Maxuilili Avenue, and Dune Street.
Despite these promises, taxi drivers say many roads are still in bad shape and they are still waiting for a real change.
