Active African Christians United Movement (AACUM) has launched a Fix Our Roads campaign in the Emfuleni Municipality, Sedibeng, and invites all road users to take part in a demonstrative campaign on 8th March 2023. The campaign, founded by Adv. Moafrica wa Maila, aims to fast-track service delivery in Emfuleni municipality by investigating the Department of Public Works in relation to the Road Traffic Infringement Agency and the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences. It also aims to make rational use of the Emfuleni Public Notice Board and to phase out the tender system gradually, promoting quality control for all infrastructural development.
The campaign will start at Vanderbijlpark’s Frikkie Meyer Street at the Caltex Garage and will move towards the Municipal Office to hand over a Memorandum to the MMC for Public Works, Cllr Vincent Jones. The campaign will investigate issues such as vandalism of sub-stations, Metsi-a-Lekoa, Randwater, and the up-keeping of state resources and waste management in the Emfuleni Municipality. The campaign will also assist SANTACO in obtaining government subsidies and the regulation of the taxi industry, alleviate taxi-based killings, and ensure driver eligibility for the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
The taxi industry in South Africa is a vital part of the country’s economy, employing at least 300,000 drivers and another 250,000 people who benefit from the industry, including queue marshals, car wash businesses, and vendors. The campaign aims to partner with SANTACO to lodge a reasonable argument with the government for taxi subsidies, and to investigate the dilapidating infrastructure at hand. The campaign will be carried out in three phases, and phase one has already begun with the submission of permits and a demonstration/picketing form to the traffic department and the local municipality.
Phase two of the campaign will start on 8th March 2023, and all taxi associations whose taxis operate within the bounds of the Emfuleni Municipality are called to participate in the peaceful march from Caltex Garage; Frikkie Meyer Boulevard. Taxi drivers are encouraged to cover or conceal their discs and desist from paying any infringement or fine. Road users are encouraged to follow the hashtag #FixOurRoads in the event that taxi drivers encounter legal authorities or traffic officers during the duration of this campaign.
AACUM hopes to establish a resolution for these problem areas and partner with the most significant industry that directly engages with the community and makes the daily utility of roads, taxi drivers, private vehicle owners, and buses. The campaign invites all local print media to cover the story of the impending campaign, and AACUM President & Founder, Moafrica Benjamin Wa Maila, can be contacted for further information.