From Dreams to Tragedy: Family Mourns Soweto E-Hailing Driver Killed Days After Starting Job

When 27-year-old Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase drove his brand-new car into Johannesburg just two weeks ago, it wasn’t just a vehicle, it was his ticket to a fresh start. After years of hustling for work between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, he had finally saved enough to join the e-hailing industry. On Monday, he started as an Uber driver. By Wednesday night, he was gone.

“Boom… by Wednesday night, we got the news”

Outside Maponya Mall on 13 August, Mvelase’s dreams ended in a blaze. According to police, unknown gunmen opened fire on his car before setting it alight. Another e-hailing driver nearby was also shot at but managed to escape — though his vehicle was torched. A passerby and the second driver were wounded and rushed to hospital.

For his aunt, Zanele Khuzwayo, the shock is still raw.

“He was the son of my eldest sister and an only child,” she told reporters. “He had so many plans, to take care of his sick mother, to build his life. He was so excited when he called to say, ‘Auntie, I’m getting my Uber car.’ And now this.”

Mvelase had been back in Johannesburg for only a few months, determined to create a better life. His family says the timing makes the loss even harder to bear.

Soweto protests and simmering taxi tensions

The attack has reignited long-standing tensions between e-hailing drivers and traditional taxi operators. On Thursday, Pimville came to a standstill as residents vowed to shut down Maponya Mall for a week in protest. In a fiery act of retaliation, one minibus taxi was set alight.

Authorities suspect the violence is linked to the taxi industry turf wars that have flared across South Africa’s public transport sector in recent years.

Leaders demand swift justice

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, herself a Soweto native, called the shooting both a criminal act and a direct attack on constitutional rights.

“The lives of innocent people were put in danger when bullets flew around Maponya Mall,” she said. “As a daughter of Soweto, I stand in solidarity with the community.”

Kubayi urged for a coordinated government response to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) also weighed in, blaming delays in implementing the amended National Land Transport Act for creating a “regulatory vacuum” that fuels conflict between licensed taxi operators and e-hailing drivers.

SANTACO spokesperson Rebecca Phala warned:

“This unregulated environment is fuelling safety risks, hijackings, abductions, and violent crimes linked to the sector. Government must act.”

More than a statistic

In Soweto, violent clashes in the transport sector aren’t just news headlines, they’re personal. Mvelase’s death has become another chapter in a painful narrative that has played out for years, where the battle for commuters often spills into bloodshed.

But for his family, it’s not about taxi wars or policy debates. It’s about a young man who wanted nothing more than to earn an honest living and look after his mother. And now, instead of celebrating his first pay day, they are planning his funeral.

{Source: IOL}

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