Taxi drivers want Geingob

The Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) has urged President Hage Geingob to address taxi drivers personally in order to restore their faith in the government.

NTTU president Werner Januarie said in a statement that the union had engaged Geingob's office several times to arrange for him to address taxi drivers at Evelyne Court on 19 March.

According to him taxi drivers plan to stage a protest march to State House on that day.

Januarie said the issues that they wanted Geingob to address included what they perceived as unfairly high traffic fines.

They want outstanding traffic fines to be written off.

Other demands are that a new transport policy be implemented, and that all taxi drivers jailed for traffic offences be pardoned and released.

Furthermore they are asking for the implementation of new policies to address taxi permits, social security benefits for taxi drivers and membership of a national medical aid fund and pension fund that still have to be implemented.

“On behalf of taxi drivers I make this clarion call on the president to come address his people, thereby to restore hope in his people, as taxi drivers as well as many other citizens of our country who have totally lost hope, faith, trust and confidence in government and him in particular as at first he seemed like the messiah all have been waiting for (sic),” said January.

He said taxi drivers wanted Geingob to personally address them because they felt left out and ignored.

ELLANIE SMIT