Gauteng Province has launched a fantastic new surface-streets public bus system called Rea Vaya. State-financed movement of people so they can work, prosper and seek opportunity for themselves. Like education and health care, public transportation is one of the easiest empowerment tools a government can offer its citizens. http://www.reavaya.org.za/ - check it out. Rea Vaya means 'we are moving' - just like Standard Bank - 'moving forward' connecting Africa to the world.
The only catch here is - the private sector 'taxis' or minibuses aren't so keen about this evolution. Rightly so, they fear all the work they have done to build up ridership, systems and growth will be snatched from them by bigger, safer and probably more comfortable buses. They must be integrated into the new vision and many are through jobs, but some aren't. The papers say the main taxi association is angry they have not been given controlling interest in the new Rea Vaya private company that will operate the system. Like in Vancouver, the Coast Mountain Bus Company operates the system for the provincial government in exchange for the opportunity to profit. The right to gain economically. The right to prosper. The buses actually look like Vancouver buses so maybe they're manufactured by the same company. Will have to check that out.
The group here that is allegedly upset is a stakeholder in the new Gautrain, mass rapid transit for Josie riders, so they obviously support the concept - maybe just not the fine print of this particular deal. This really has revealed itself in a very ugly (but not suprising for Joburg - there is a 'gun safe' in an upmarket casino/shopping mall here - are people allowed to carry weapons around?) and violent outcome - taxis fired guns at a couple of the new buses doing their routes through Soweto. I can't help but think of the new South African film showing right now around the world called 'District 9' where this sort of thing is the norm. Not a great PR message for South Africa. Who on earth would understand a public bus system being 'under fire'? How extreme. How unnecessary. Fear rears its ugly head through violence.
But having lived in Africa now for over three years I always come back to the same idea. Africa is in transition. New ideas that are the result of industrialization are threatening. That's really what's going on here in SA - the country is rapidly industrializing and it's not going to work in everybody's favour. We all have to embrace change and dialogue to create a new future here. The trick is to uplift the most people possible - to utilize state institutions like media, judiciary, legislature, education, health care - to be the waves that citizen surfers can ride. It's as if Zuma gave every SA citizen a surfboard and told them to 'get riding' - or an ID card so they can 'get working' - it's these tools of empowerment that count - and when they truly are for everybody, societies evolve.
I would be very surprised if the Rea Vaya buses were under attack again. I think this first shooting must be some sort of warning or backlash that the majority of riders will not accept. A working parent who finally can organize his or her family's movements - what do they tell their kids about new buses being shot at? Let's not show more of this to the world who are busy booking their hotel rooms and rental cars for the Rugby World Cup. Foreigners coming to spend hard-earned cash in South Africa might not quite understand the rage of Joburg taxi drivers. This kind of violence will be perceived as backwards, dangerous and sad. But the free press has to do its job - let the world decide, let South Africans decide if this is acceptable behaviour here. This country has come so far and is such a shining example of what is possible for Africa. There's far too much at stake. Mandela didn't sit in jail to give his people the right to shoot guns at each other on the commute home.
My taxi driver in Joburg said he thinks the country has a 50% chance of evolving into a communist state. Wow. What a concept. I didn't realize Communism was an option anymore. We've got to be more evolved than this to go back to an idea we have outlived. Haven't we created something better than communism? Do we really want to stand in line waiting for bread?
Beyond scarcity. There must be a utopian possibility for what lies beyond scarcity. We just have to keep evolving...keep talking, keep accepting, keep loving & keep moving forward.
The only catch here is - the private sector 'taxis' or minibuses aren't so keen about this evolution. Rightly so, they fear all the work they have done to build up ridership, systems and growth will be snatched from them by bigger, safer and probably more comfortable buses. They must be integrated into the new vision and many are through jobs, but some aren't. The papers say the main taxi association is angry they have not been given controlling interest in the new Rea Vaya private company that will operate the system. Like in Vancouver, the Coast Mountain Bus Company operates the system for the provincial government in exchange for the opportunity to profit. The right to gain economically. The right to prosper. The buses actually look like Vancouver buses so maybe they're manufactured by the same company. Will have to check that out.
The group here that is allegedly upset is a stakeholder in the new Gautrain, mass rapid transit for Josie riders, so they obviously support the concept - maybe just not the fine print of this particular deal. This really has revealed itself in a very ugly (but not suprising for Joburg - there is a 'gun safe' in an upmarket casino/shopping mall here - are people allowed to carry weapons around?) and violent outcome - taxis fired guns at a couple of the new buses doing their routes through Soweto. I can't help but think of the new South African film showing right now around the world called 'District 9' where this sort of thing is the norm. Not a great PR message for South Africa. Who on earth would understand a public bus system being 'under fire'? How extreme. How unnecessary. Fear rears its ugly head through violence.
But having lived in Africa now for over three years I always come back to the same idea. Africa is in transition. New ideas that are the result of industrialization are threatening. That's really what's going on here in SA - the country is rapidly industrializing and it's not going to work in everybody's favour. We all have to embrace change and dialogue to create a new future here. The trick is to uplift the most people possible - to utilize state institutions like media, judiciary, legislature, education, health care - to be the waves that citizen surfers can ride. It's as if Zuma gave every SA citizen a surfboard and told them to 'get riding' - or an ID card so they can 'get working' - it's these tools of empowerment that count - and when they truly are for everybody, societies evolve.
I would be very surprised if the Rea Vaya buses were under attack again. I think this first shooting must be some sort of warning or backlash that the majority of riders will not accept. A working parent who finally can organize his or her family's movements - what do they tell their kids about new buses being shot at? Let's not show more of this to the world who are busy booking their hotel rooms and rental cars for the Rugby World Cup. Foreigners coming to spend hard-earned cash in South Africa might not quite understand the rage of Joburg taxi drivers. This kind of violence will be perceived as backwards, dangerous and sad. But the free press has to do its job - let the world decide, let South Africans decide if this is acceptable behaviour here. This country has come so far and is such a shining example of what is possible for Africa. There's far too much at stake. Mandela didn't sit in jail to give his people the right to shoot guns at each other on the commute home.
My taxi driver in Joburg said he thinks the country has a 50% chance of evolving into a communist state. Wow. What a concept. I didn't realize Communism was an option anymore. We've got to be more evolved than this to go back to an idea we have outlived. Haven't we created something better than communism? Do we really want to stand in line waiting for bread?
Beyond scarcity. There must be a utopian possibility for what lies beyond scarcity. We just have to keep evolving...keep talking, keep accepting, keep loving & keep moving forward.
REA VAYA - let's go South Africa!
Photos; Sandton City Shopping Centre, Rea Vaya Bus Route.
Some of the worst violence I saw in South Africa when I worked there in the mid-90's were fights between competing taxi companies. I wouldn't be surprised to see it get worse, not better.
ReplyDeleteSandton City is pretty wild, it's like the Oak Ridge Shopping Centre dropped down in the middle of Africa. They have an awesome Sunday flea market in the parkade that's worth checking out.