E-Hailing Drivers Blame Gauteng Transport Department After Fatal Maponya Mall Attack

E-hailing drivers in Johannesburg are pointing fingers at the Gauteng Transport Department after a deadly attack outside Maponya Mall in Soweto left one of their colleagues dead.

Last week, driver Mthokozisi Mvelase, 27, was shot before his car and another e-hailing vehicle were torched. The incident has intensified tensions between e-hailing operators and competing taxi associations, with drivers accusing authorities of ignoring their repeated safety concerns.

“They are sitting here with the taxi violence task team, who have been put to deal with these issues. Maponya Mall would have not happened if ever the department and the MEC would have done the right thing,” said E-hailing Partners Council chairperson Henry Mathebula.

Calls for Safety, Regulation, and Fair Competition

The protesting drivers marched to the Department of Transport offices on Monday to hand over a detailed memorandum of demands. Their grievances include:

A lack of security for drivers and commuters

Alleged negligence by the provincial MEC

Urgent need for regulation to curb harassment by rival operators

Mathebula stressed that better oversight could help “mitigate bullying by other public transport operators” and prevent more violent clashes in the future.

Gauteng MEC Promises Urgent Response to the E-Hailing Drivers’ Request

Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela received the memorandum and assured drivers that their demands would be prioritised.

“So, we are in the process of operationalising TAG [Transport Authority of Gauteng]. By making sure that it has all the necessary employees that will help us take not only the things that you are complaining about here, but also the future of public transport in Gauteng,” Diale-Tlabela said.

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Alongside safety, drivers are also pressing for a fairer revenue split with e-hailing platforms, saying the current structure leaves them vulnerable and exploited.

The department has promised to urgently address these concerns as the sector continues to grapple with violence and instability.

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