Tasa Conference supports emerging road freight transporters

TASA President, Mary Phadi handing Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma a token of appreciation after her keynote speech.

The association was launched in July 2017 with the aim of representing owner drivers, small transport providers to hardware and furniture stores as well as emerging cargo carriers for fuel, steel, gas, coal, sugar, and chemicals.

“The theme of our Conference clearly indicate that we are not ashamed to be associated with radical economic transformation, as we feel the majority of our people deserve a share of the road freight transport sector. We are organised in a way that enables us to bring change in the industry and cannot continue to be beggars,” TASA President, Mary Phadi said.

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Monde Faku, senior researcher and founding member of the Centre of Entrepreneurial Research and Development, kicked off the conference and outlined the economic contribution of the transport sector as follows: mining at R285bn; manufacturing at R420bn and agriculture R73bn.

Deputy Director-General: Manufacturing Enterprises at the Department of Public Enterprises, Kgathatso Tlhakudi said government has a responsibility to level the playing field as it relates to procurement. “As TASA, you know the transport sector better and are able to tell government what you want. Even though you have a small asset base, you can leverage it to get things you want,” Tlhakudi said.

Former African Union chairperson, member of parliament, and keynote speaker at the event, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said: “The majority of the people in this country are not part of the mainstream economy and this status quo cannot remain.” She praised TASA for promoting a women agenda, joining the economic endeavours and skills revolution.

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Dr Dlamini-Zuma further added that “political freedom will not be sustained without economic freedom, therefore the economy needs to be radically transformed, otherwise the country will face a bleak future.”

Professor Chris Malikane, associate professor of economics at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), addressed delegates with the focus on South Africa’s financial system: “We have seen monopoly of the transport value chain by a few companies, TASA should, therefore, challenge the status quo.