Soweto e-hailing drivers blame government for recent arson attacks

Soweto e-hailing drivers have complained that the recent public transport chaos in the township is the result of the government’s failure to regulate the transport sector. 

A member of the Soweto United E-hailing Association, Vhatuka Mbelengwa, said it was time to stop pointing fingers at each other and vilifying minibus taxi operators.

“We have to blame the government for not regulating the industry. They have allowed circumstances in which people are operating illegally in the sector. They have allowed the likes of Bolt and Uber to step into the country and not regulate the pricing and undermining of the industry as a whole,” he said.

He said he refused to feed into the narrative of blaming fellow operators and minibus taxi operators who are just trying to earn a living.

“It's an unregulated industry, it is an Uber you can't hold to account. It is a very dynamic issue. Every day we speak of exploitation. Every day we speak of pricing, and every day we speak of influx control.

“It is too easy to blame each other or taxis. I am blaming the government,” he said.

The region has been embroiled in chaos after e-hailing vehicles were burnt at Maponya Mall and chaos erupted in Protea Glen on Tuesday after an e-hailing vehicle was allegedly torched.

On Wednesday, a meeting was held between the e-hailing drivers, City of Johannesburg officials, Soweto Taxi Services (STS), police and other stakeholders.

During the meeting, it emerged that there were “illegal operators” operating in key areas and malls under the guise of e-hailing drivers and allegedly undermining minibus taxi operators and genuine e-hailing drivers.

Mbelengwa earlier told the meeting that they had learnt that there were drivers who were using apps to calculate the pricing and determine what they could charge clients at the malls. 

He said they would approach prospective customers at the malls and negotiate prices to avoid paying the e-hailing services.

“This process is now undermining the minibus taxis who have the right to be at the malls — now those customers are intercepted while shopping and their cheaper pricing is undermining the genuine drivers,” he said.

He said it was also done to avoid paying the commission to Uber and Bolt.

Johannesburg MMC for transport Kenny Kunene earlier told the meeting — which he said was supposed to be a closed one — that one of the drivers whose car was burnt was at the mall to buy groceries.

“The young man said that he was at the entrance after he bought groceries, and when he got into the car somebody arrived and smashed the window of his car, claiming he was picking up a client,” said Kunene.

Kunene quashed rumours that it was taxi operators who were behind the arson attacks.

“It doesn't matter who is picking up clients from the mall entrances. STS was very clear that they didn't cause the problem,” he said.

Mbelengwa told journalists after a subsequent meeting held behind closed doors that they had decided an interim solution would be to provide drop-off zones so that e-hailing operators could clearly be identified.

He said it would help identify those who were undermining the industry and operating illegally.

“There is a further commitment to ensure that there is a joint effort in putting people on the ground so that we can educate on how we can identify e-hailing operators and proper traditional minibus taxi operators so we can identify those who are not meant to be there,” he said.

Kunene told reporters they had established a committee which includes all stakeholders, such as e-hailing drivers, police, the city transport department, station commissioners from all Soweto police stations and managers of the malls.

MMC for public safety Dr Mgcini Tshwaku said it was raised during a closed meeting that e-hailing was starting to encroach into the minibus taxi space, which was a problem.

“The taxi associations and the e-hailing representatives said they are not fighting each other, there might be a third force. That’s why we are saying, as public safety and police, we are going to the ground,” he said. 

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