'Urgent, decisive action' being taken after deadly e-hailing attack: Creecy

TimesLIVE

2 days ago

One person died and two others were injured after e-hailing vehicles were attacked at Maponya Mall in Soweto on Wednesday evening
Transport minister Barbara Creecy says urgent and decisive action is being taken to address the widespread challenges in the public transport system, with particular focus on ending the violence that continues to plague the sector.
This comes after e-hailing vehicles were attacked on Wednesday evening at Maponya Mall, Soweto, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to two others.
According to the police, an e-hailing vehicle was seen stopping at the entrance of the mall when about four men approached the driver and shot at him before torching the vehicle.
Gauteng police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said another vehicle nearby was shot at but the driver managed to flee though his vehicle was also torched.
Creecy and the deputy minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, condemned the incident, saying such criminal behaviour has no place in the public transport sector. They said those responsible must face the full might of the law.
The department's spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said in a meeting on April 25 that Creecy and taxi industry leaders had unanimously denounced violence in the industry.
Msibi said the meeting also agreed on the formation of a task team between the national and provincial departments of transport to fast-track the process of digitisation of the issuing of operating licences to resolve route encroachments in the industry, which is the main cause of taxi violence.
'The taxi industry leadership was also requested to reflect on this matter and make tangible proposals to the government on the way forward,' he said.
He said the department was implementing the National Land Transport Information System, which will, among other things, ensure that the operating licences are linked to the eNATIS system to eliminate the unlawful usage of one operating licence for more than one vehicle.
Msibi said the National Land Transport Amendment Act and the Transport Appeal Tribunal Amendment Act were signed into law on June 30.
'The regulations have been approved and await the second official language translation for gazetting and implementation of the amendment act. This will usher in a new era in the regulation of the e-hailing services,' he said.
[BREAKING] One minibus taxi torched in Pimville near Maponya Mall in Soweto. Tensions are high in the area after a deadly attack on e-hailing drivers. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/tqaJrlNJFX
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 14, 2025
Meanwhile, the South African Metered Taxi and E-Hailing Association (Samtea) in Gauteng has also condemned the incident. The association has welcomed the MEC for roads and transport's crisis committee, which it said brings together all stakeholders in the public transport value chain.
'This inclusive platform is vital to restoring peace, clarity and stability in the sector,' said Samtea chair Sibongiseni Shange.
Explaining the structure, Shange said Santaco was the apex council representing all public transport modes — minibus taxis, metered taxis, e-hailing, and scholar and cross-border transport — under one constitution aligned with the supreme law.
He said SAMTEA represents metered taxi and e-hailing operators within this framework.
'We caution that actions by individual operators — legal or illegal — can distort public perceptions, unfairly painting the entire sector as criminal. Criminal syndicates exploit policy gaps, unemployment and exclusionary technologies to infiltrate this essential service,' he said.
The association is calling for the protection of workers and passengers through visible policing and strict law enforcement. It also urges the inclusive integration of technology without displacing licensed operators, and calls for support for those who invest personal capital to serve the public, often without receiving any state subsidies.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in Gauteng urged the public to avoid speculation or unfounded accusations that, it says, automatically place the taxi industry at fault.
'Such assumptions not only harm the reputation of the industry but also undermine due process. We call on all to respect the work of law enforcement and allow the police to conduct thorough investigations into the matter,' said Santaco provincial secretary Graham Fritz.