03-08-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
End of Wanatu? Afrikaans e-hailing responds to 'bankrupt' rumours
Popular Afrikaans e-hailing service Wanatu has shut down rumours that it has gone bankrupt and has been forced to shut down.
This comes after a screenshot of a 'fake news' article circulated on the X app.
According to its founders, the service only employs drivers who speak the language. However, the service is openly available to the public who live in the Centurion and Pretoria areas.
On its Instagram account, Wanatu reposted a viral screenshot concerning a 'fake news' article about the Afrikaans e-hailing service going bankrupt.
The post read: 'We are aware of spreading fake news and misleading information about Wanatu. If there is anything important to share, Wanatu will communicate it via our official channels.
'We appreciate your continued support. We are still fully operational and ready to take you everywhere'.
According to Wanatu, the e-hailing service aims to create job opportunities among Afrikaans-speaking South Africans and 'restore the dignity' of the community.
Director Van Rooy van den Berg told Jacaranda FM: 'A dignified job is one of the foundations for making a person feel valuable. Many people in the Afrikaner cultural community have lost their jobs in recent years. That is why it is a calling to create dignified work opportunities'.
While drivers are required to speak Afrikaans fluently, passengers do not have to. Afrikaans e-hailing service via Instagram:
@warnatu_vervoer
Since its inception in October 2024, the e-hailing app has employed close to 100 drivers. It has a fast-growing database of subscribers, including actress Reandi Grey and former Springbok Victor Matfield.
According to Wanatu, drivers utilise branded Toyota Corolla Cross HEV hybrid electric vehicles. The service – which is mainly used by schoolchildren, business people, and the elderly – offers school transport and airport shuttle services.
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