Pretoria - Transport Minister Dipuo Peters will today meet her Lesotho counterpart, in Maseru, to resolve existing problems regarding taxi operations between South Africa and Lesotho.
Conflict between South African and Lesotho taxi operators has been on-going for some time. A joint discussion was held between transport agencies of both countries, with no resolutions found.
It has become clear that there is a need for a high-level intervention for both countries to find an amicable solution.
The latest effort from the Cross-Border Road Agency came after a report, on 4 June 2014, indicated that there was an illegal closure of the border, preventing transportation of people to and from both countries.
A working group was then established to deal with existing problems and deployment of an interim operational model to secure the safe and free flow of passengers and goods across the border.
However, despite this effort the impasse remains. It is in this context that the high-level meeting between the two ministers will take place.
The meeting will address the short-term deadlock of the cross-border operators, as well as to secure bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries.
The two country’s relations are embedded on economic movement of people. With Lesotho being a landlocked country, transportation of goods and services from Lesotho to South Africa contribute enormously to both countries’ economies.
The bilateral agreements between the two are a clear indication of the inextricable relations between South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho. - SAnews.gov.za
