Media Release
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE TAXI AND BUS INDUSTRY SET TO START
To release: Friday 24 October 2014
Rustenburg: Following closely on from the launch on the Yarona brand name and logo last week, the
RRT announced today the formal signing of the Negotiation Framework Agreement (NFA) between
the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) and the Taxi and Bus industry. The NFA paves the way for
formal negotiations to start and will guide the transition process for all parties.
The MMC for Planning and Transport Services, Cllr Amos Mataboge noted, “This is a significant
milestone for us all, and is a testament to the open dialogue and engagement we have had between
the municipality and the existing transport industry from 2010. We have built a mutual respect and
trust which has led to a common consensus of how we should all be approaching negotiations and
the scope and process for these negotiations.”
Negotiations will be between three parties and will be overseen by an appointed independent
facilitator and supported by a secretariat. The tender notice for the facilitator has been advertised
and is due to be confirmed soon. 2015 will be a year of intense discussions, agreements and
decisions for all parties and there will be daily and weekly engagements on both a technical and a
decision level.
The NFA covers details on the scope of negotiations in 3 main areas – operator transition, employee
transition and business transition. In addition the NFA outlines the structures that have been set up
to support the negotiation process, including technical working groups, joint sub-committees and
the Negotiation Plenary where final decisions will be ratified and referred to the ultimate decisionmaking bodies of each party for sign-off. A Negotiation Process Committee will co-ordinate and
distribute documentation and ensure that all these groups keep to timelines and the spirit of the
NFA.
“In any negotiating process, tensions do run high with views from different perspectives and needs,
but we are all committed to using the NFA as our guide where we have committed to professional,
ethical and honest behaviour,” said the RRT Director Mr Marks Rapoo who was present for the
official signing ceremony.
The NFA also includes a commitment to working to timelines, “All three parties do not want to delay
this process and therefore delay the delivery of the public transport service to the people,” says Mr
Sebego, Chairperson of the Taxi Negotiating Forum (TNF) which represents the nine affected taxi
associations which are impacted by the roll-out of Phase 1 and 2 Yarona services.
The RRT stated that technical work and Joint Sub Committee meetings commenced in August and
have been used to test the process and already start with some of the key elements of information
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gathering and analysis. The process in place is for the Joint Subcommittees (JSCs) to request the
necessary technical input to be shared amongst the 3 parties through documents and presentations.
Each party can then caucus, consult members and discuss the information, and revert with
comments and input. Once all input is received, a consensus approach is then reached at the JSCs
and decisions are made. “There may be a number of agreements on a particular aspect such as how
we deal with operator transition, and we will then put the linked agreements together to be tabled
at the Negotiation Plenary for ratification,” notes Mataboge.
While all negotiations are confidential and do not involve the media, the RRT do commit to
providing the public with regular updates on the process when prudent. The TNF and the Bus
industry will be sharing information with their members and employees through their established
channels. The taxi industry has also instituted a newsletter and information will also be shared on
the web-site www.fotconsulting.co.za so that TNF and Taxi Interim Structure (TIS) members can
access the latest updates on the negotiations process.
Following this event, the industry will be embarking on a ten day study tour to Bus Operating
Companies in South America to gain a first hand insight into the operational requirements and
business approaches, which in turn will provide useful inputs to operating contract negotiation. The
last study tour was held in November 2011 to Rea Vaya and MyCiti operations, and this will build on
that knowledge.
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For more information on the industry negotiations, please visit www.rustenburgrapidtransport.co.za
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The Rustenburg Local Municipality is South Africa’s 7th largest city and remains one of the fastest
growing areas in the country with a population of over 550,000 residents, an area of jurisdiction
covering approximately 3 500 km² and a total of 38 wards. Over 80% of the residents of Rustenburg
rely on public transport for mobility and to access economic opportunities and social services. The
first phases of the Rustenburg Rapid Transport project are due to launch during 2016 under the
brand name Yarona, and will service the residents of the Rustenburg Municipality through an
integrated transport network that will include BRT trunk corridors, direct routes and feeder services.
The total public transport system comprises four phases and aims to cover 80% of the municipality.
The development of the public transport system and infrastructure is funded by national government.
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