The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) is seriously considering expanding the taxi industry to cover further modes of transport, including buses, trains and aeroplanes. There is no word on what the airline, due to take to the skies in November, would be called, but there is the very obvious question of: “Where would the gatjie sit?”

Nkululeko Buthelezi, business development officer for Santaco, proudly told potential investors and reporters in Johannesburg, “We will be launching a low-cost airline.” Sensing the undeniable irony, and because we all know driving a plane is a little more difficult than meets the eye, he continued:

I can see some of you rolling your eyes because of how our taxi drivers drive… [But] I can assure you we won’t allow our taxi drivers to drive [the planes].

Awesome, I feel a bit safer now.

The airline should be officially unveiled on September 16 and will aim to take to the skies by November this year. Buthelezi explained that the routes Santaco was looking at, such as Lanseria to Bhisho, made sense for their customers, who often made 14-hour journeys by taxi for funerals, only to return five hours later.

So, friends, anyone keen to put forward any name suggestions for Mr Buthelezi?

[Source: TimesLive]