South Africa’s minibus taxi industry has lessons for policymakers on how informal systems work

Two recent books draw on more than a decade of research into South Africa’s minibus taxi industry.

A Fork in the Road? The Formalisation of South Africa’s Minibus Taxi Industry and Blood on the Tar, Hope on the Horizon: South Africa’s Minibus Taxi Industry in Global Perspective examine formalisation, labour precarity, regulation, governance, violence, mobility and social justice.

Siyabulela Christopher Fobosi sets out why the two books raise a question: whose knowledge counts when attempting to understand and transform African institutions? Why do labels matter? South Africa’s minibus taxi industry is often described through terms such as “informal”, “unregulated”, “illegal” or “difficult to govern”.

These descriptions capture some realities.

The industry has serious problems, like working conditions, exploitation, violence and conflict.

The labels used to describe the taxi industry can also obscure another reality: that it contains extensive knowledge, organisation and social practices developed by the people who work in and depend on it.

Taxi drivers know their routes.

Operators understand the economic pressures of the industry.

Marshals, who manage taxi ranks, understand how to coordinate taxis, control queues and direct passenger flows.

Commuters understand where the system works and where it fails.

Communities know what inaccessible transport means for their everyday lives.

The question is not whether this knowledge should replace scientific, technical or governmental knowledge.

It should not.

The question is why it is so often treated as less authoritative.