19.08.2025
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Gauteng forms task team to prevent taxi, e-hailing clashes in Soweto

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  • The Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela.

Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says a multi-stakeholder team has been established to prevent future violence between taxi operators and e-hailing drivers in Soweto.

This follows a meeting between the MEC as well as taxi associations and e-hailing drivers at Maponya Mall earlier on Monday.

This comes after the brutal killing of 27-year-old e-hailing driver Mthokozisi Mvelase last Wednesday night. Mvelase was gunned down allegedly by disgruntled taxi operators, before his vehicle, as well as another e-hailing vehicle, were torched.

MEC Diale-Tlabela says law enforcement is also part of this team. “We now have a team that will deal with what happened on Wednesday in Maponya and this is a team that includes everyone, government, e-hailing drivers, taxi associations and the centre manager so we are confident that whatever happened will not happen again and law enforcers are also part of this team to ensure the safety of the centre and the community members in this area.”

Management of the iconic Maponya Mall in Soweto says they are confident that their engagement with members from taxi associations as well as the e-hailing industry, facilitated by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, will end the feud.

Manager of Maponya Mall Joe Morube says all modes of public transport are allowed to operate within the mall.

“As a mall, we still say that all transport services that are offered are allowed within the mall and the main thing is that it’s always been the need to make sure that we comply with the rules and the regulations of the country as well; therefore, that’s our stance. And as a mall, I have said that e-hailing drivers are welcome as well as taxis within the mall.”

The National Taxi Alliance (NTA) has distanced itself from reports claiming that taxi operators are behind the brutal attacks on e-hailing drivers in Soweto.

Gauteng NTA spokesperson Theo Malele says, “We distance ourselves from that as leadership, and we are saying that is sheer thugery. We are saying that where these acts are being spotted by the public, we encourage them to report them and ensure that those people are brought to book. We can never be a law unto ourselves. We are law-abiding citizens, and we are out there to do fair business practice, and we would not want any other person to come in and disturb that in the name of the taxi industry.”

 

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