The pain of losing loved ones due to road accidents during Easter holidays led the members for Umtata Taxi Owners’ Association, under affiliate of Border Alliance Taxi Association (BATA), to host a special prayer session, last week.
This prayer meeting was held at Mamela Taxi Rank in Mthatha. The aim was to ask God to protect drivers and passengers during this busy time.
The worshippers also prayed for peace in the taxi industry and to be protected from COVID-19.
Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety from King Sabatha Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality, Councillor Mlawuli Marasha, said they hope to host this initiative annually because KSD is in need of prayers.
“Crime is very high in our areas, and I wish we could have a partnership with you so that we could come up with the plan of minimising this problem in our town,” said Marasha. He also revealed that they were working out to ensure that the Mamela Rank is rebuilt. He confirmed that they would go to Gauteng to check the kind of rank they want to build in this area. He said this would happen very soon.
The chaplain for Umtata Owners’ Taxi Association, Mkhuseli Matshonyana, said taxis were playing a major role in uplifting the economy of this country.
He said they started in February to host this kind of prayer meeting in their sub-ranks because they wanted to see peace in this industry.
“We are praying about all the people who are in this industry to have peace and to know that we are all working in order to feed our family members. We are trying to transform the way people look at the taxi industry. We even take care of people who are less fortunate,” said Matshonyana.
He said the behaviour of the taxi drivers, community members and the owners should totally change so that they could go forward.
Matshonyana said they needed unity in order to ensure that they fulfil the purpose of taxi industry.
One of the passengers who attended this prayer meeting, Nolizwi Mdiya, said they hoped that there would be a change and peace in this industry.
She said they hoped that this prayer would bring about positive change.
“We hope God will answer our prayers because we are always worried, since we don’t know what will happen next,” said Mdiya.
