E-hailing drivers in the City of Tshwane have disputed claims by MMC for Roads and Transport Tlangi Mogale that metro police treat all drivers equally when it comes to cracking down on vehicles operating without proper permits.
This is after it emerged that Wanatu, an Afrikaans-only e-hailing service operating in Centurion and Pretoria, appears to have been spared from the metro police’s crackdown on non-compliant operators, despite reportedly not having the necessary permits.
Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya announced the impounding of two Wanatu vehicles on X, stating: “We do not discriminate when enforcing by-laws in Tshwane.”
Launched in October 2024, Wanatu has branded itself as an Afrikaans-language transportation service currently serving Centurion and Pretoria.
Billed as a pioneering initiative, the e-hailing company said it aims to create employment opportunities while promoting the Afrikaans language and culture within the local community.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Wanatu announced that its services have been temporarily halted due to the actions of the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), citing the unlawful impounding of their vehicles and the intimidation of their drivers.
The company also vowed to take the matter to court, but when asked for clarity about its case against the city, it said: “In light of the current situation, we are not doing interviews.“
Mogale expressed strong disapproval of Wanatu’s exclusively Afrikaans operations, calling it “blatant racism”.
She said she was aware of the threats to take the city to court, adding there was no witch-hunt targeting Wanatu.
Mlungisi Mabuya, secretary-general of the Pretoria West e-hailers, spoke out on behalf of black e-hailers, stating the metro police’s sudden crackdown on Wanatu was merely an attempt to appear impartial, after being accused of primarily targeting black e-hailing operators.
He claimed that Wanatu operators are handled with leniency due to their perceived financial influence as a predominantly white-owned business.
“Very soon the permits will be issued and you can expect the likes of AfriForum to jump on board to assist them. Who is coming for us? No one is coming for us,” he said.
Mabuya questioned the timing of the crackdown on Wanatu, asking why authorities only took action after the e-hailing service’s permit-less operations were exposed, rather than addressing the issue earlier.
“E-hailing operators like Bolt and Uber are just easy targets for them. Wanatu, if I am correct, has 50 or 60 cars, which are being driven around the whole city and only two were caught. But, I can tell you now we have close to a 1 000 cars which have been impounded,” he said.
In a media statement, Mogale said she convened a meeting with the operators on December 12, 2024, at Ou Raadsaal Council Chamber in Pretoria Central.
“The daily impounding of their vehicles by law enforcement authorities (Tshwane Metro Police Department, Gauteng Department of Community Safety, Road Traffic Management Corporation, etc) was one of the bones of contentions along with the licensing backlogs, which has been escalated to the provincial crisis committee on public transport operating licences to resolve,” she said.
Recently, e-hailers took to the streets of Pretoria to complain about the impounding of their vehicles operating without permits.
Mogale said authorities have arranged a feedback session with the e-hailing community, scheduled to take place next week, with details of the date and time to be announced.