Ban Taxis From Kruger Park

[Lisbeth]

IMO without saying so, he did defend the taxis right to visit the park and rightly so, but without putting one blame on them (taxis or minibuses hired for an outing) even if it is well known that they are seen speeding very, very often. That there was no taxi or minibus involved when the speed cameras were on, is only a case and maybe it was during the week, but that was only the result of one day. The private cars outnumber by far the taxis/minibuses.

[Richprins]

35 000!

[Lisbeth]

Certainly also due to their general behaviour, not only in the Park

[Richprins]

While the response by Mr Phaahla is largely nonsensical, this petition is very important:

1. it gives the public a chance to do something about what clearly is a concern, however small.

2. It keeps the problem in the spotlight re. media

3. It may force the police to actually report back, and even arrest the culprit!

4. It will focus attention on taxi misbehaviour in the park, and other speeding.

5. It seems to have made Kruger set up their speed cameras again...

6. MOST IMPORTANTLY Even though it is unlikely SANParks will admit that the taxis come in without paying, getting the proper documentation, and leaving their booze at the gate, they may actually enforce the laws, even for a limited period.

[Lisbeth]

Having passed the accident on to the police, the have washed their hands off it, but it might come back and hit them somewhere where it hurts: The groups of people who come to the park not to enjoy nature, but to go to the picnic sites and do undisturbed whatever they want to do. Because if they do nothing to stop them sooner or later someone is going to get proofs of certain behaviour and make it public.

[RogerFraser]

SANParks is aware of the petition suggesting the banning of taxis from the KNP. It has not been presented to the organization as yet. No vehicle types have been banned from accessing the Park. We request for drivers to continue being vigilant and observing the rules of the road.

https://gfycat.com/excellentshortiberianlynx

[Richprins]

Rog!

[Richprins]

Mr Phaahla states that in this instance it wasn't a taxi because it had been hired, or the visitors were part of "the community". (They don't know)

Why that should make a difference is a moot point, as the more pertinent point is that the driver generally remains the same and all protocols regarding a public driver's permit and for-profit operation remain the same. Do visitors from"the community" not have to abide by laws?

He then refuses to comment on the allegations of speeding etc and says that it is a police matter as a death occurred. He confirms it was a day-excursion for the "community members".

The nearest entrance gate for the "day trippers" would have been Punda Maria, 120 km north of the accident site. The round-trip to Letaba (the confirmed destination) and back to Punda is 360 km. Even at an average of 40km/h this is a very optimistic if not impossible trip, including a lengthy lunchtime, unless the visitors were intending to go to the Phalaborwa "community". (The next day was a work day, which means the taxi would certainly have needed to be back on the road).

He then states that the only "taxis" using Kruger are those from Phalaborwa to Giryondo for Mozambique visits. It is unclear how these are not also "hired" or "from the community" suddenly. He then states that these are "highly-regulated". (With permits and roadworthiness being checked.)

Once again, why should permits and roadworthiness not be checked for all public transport then? Anyway, the cross-border traffic is a slightly different mess, (actually also pertinent to Pafuri Border Post) with compulsory overnighting being introduced around 2013. That rule was also then scrapped as SANParks "had an obligation to the communities". viewtopic.php?f=79&t=6455


Phaahla then predictably goes off on a long irrelevant socio-political diatribe deflecting and stating that the 30 000 signatories to the petition have been opportunistic and taken advantage of a tragedy. There are poor people in SA, which is a very unequal society. Poor people have to band together to organise transport into the park and cannot be excluded by "the privileged".

What he seems to be saying is that by some logic the 'allegedly' speeding taxi/minibus driver was poor, so was allowed to speed as we are living in an unequal society? And those who are outraged by the senseless killing of an animal and a human are being vindictive and have a political agenda. He assumes that only the "privileged" signed the petition, which is certainly not the case.


Then he says that the speed cameras in Kruger have been recomissioned now after a lenthy absence.

So much for "zero tolerance", if the cameras have been unmaintained. Anyway, there are precious few of these cameras, and traditionally speed-enforcement has been done by roving officers who issue tickets on the spot and have visible presence...far more effective, especially in the North. There are no cameras in the north of Kruger, as far as I am aware.

Then he says that on the day the cameras were recommissioned they arrested 50 people.

This is absolute bullshit, as the cameras take photos remotely and the vehicle owner may or may not receive a summons weeks later to pay a fine or appear in court. It would also be impossible to determine the taxiness or not of a vehicle from the cameras within a day.

He says that none of the 50 speeders were taxis.

Once again, assuming he means a traffic stop not cameras, it would have been done in the South, not the North, probably the Kruger Gate road (if this was done at all) that is the only road where one could remotely catch 50 speeders. Firstly, this was done in the intervening week, when the weekend taxi daytripper contingent does not operate, obviously. Secondly, by Phaahla's own definition, none of the minibuses are taxis anyway (except for the Giryondo crowd), so a neat conclusion, no? He may mean that the minibuses stopped were staff or service-provider vehicles, but that is not what the petition is about anyway.


He then says that they have now been empowered to issue fines by the NEMPA act.

They have been empowered to issue fines since time immemorial.


He then says Kruger is unique as it comprises 2 million hectares and one cannot put an officer behind every tree as people go in to enjoy the park.


This is twaddle. They managed to "arrest" 50 in one day, remember?

He then urges visitors to stick to the speed limit etc.

[Lisbeth]

I intended to say the same things only with much fewr lines.

It was not Letaba though, but Mopani, RP so the driving time to get to Phalaborwa is shorter

[Richprins]

No, the initial statement was they were on the way to Letaba day visitors' site!