Gauteng Plans Its Own E-Hailing App After Tragic Attacks on Drivers

A tragedy sparks a bold government move

The streets of Soweto were rocked last week by the killing of Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase, a 27-year-old e-hailing driver who was attacked, shot, and set alight at Maponya Mall. His death sent shockwaves through Gauteng, not only for its brutality but also because Uber later revealed that Mvelase wasn’t even registered on their platform, raising troubling questions about just how murky and unregulated the e-hailing sector has become.

In the aftermath, Gauteng MEC for Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, announced that the province is preparing to launch its own government-led e-hailing app.

“We can’t allow crime to thrive in this space”

Speaking after meeting taxi drivers, e-hailing reps, and the Mvelase family, Diale-Tlabela was blunt: Gauteng needs an app it can trust.

“It is now time for a Gauteng-based e-hailing app. We cannot continue allowing young women to fear for their safety or commuters to fall victim to criminality. As government, we must step in,” she said.

The MEC stressed that while the national Department of Transport still has to finalise regulations, her provincial team is moving ahead with plans to formalise what is currently a chaotic, highly informal sector.

How the new app would work

The government-run platform is being framed as a tool to:

• Enhance commuter safety and reduce attacks on drivers.

• Crack down on illegal and unregistered operators.

• Create jobs for young people.

• Bring order to a sector where regulation has lagged behind rapid growth.

Diale-Tlabela said the province wants every operator accounted for. “This can’t be a free-for-all,” she noted.

Industry reaction: cautious optimism

Reaction to the plan has been mixed but largely hopeful. Mpho Hlahla, Chairperson of the Gauteng E-hailing Services, welcomed the move, arguing that government involvement could finally “weed out” the criminal elements plaguing the industry.

“There are too many unregistered and unregulated operators, and crime has become rampant. Just this year, more than a dozen e-hailing drivers have been killed in Gauteng, four of them this month alone,” he said.

For drivers who’ve long operated under fear, this sounds like overdue intervention. Still, some users on social media have questioned whether a state-run app can match the efficiency and ease of use of private platforms like Uber and Bolt or whether bureaucracy will get in the way.

Why it matters for commuters

South Africa’s e-hailing industry has grown at lightning speed, but regulation hasn’t kept pace. Riders often don’t know who is really behind the wheel, and drivers face violent turf wars with taxi operators and criminals.

By positioning itself as both regulator and service provider, Gauteng is betting on an unusual solution: that a government-run app could do what global tech giants have not, restore trust in ride-hailing.

If successful, the project could become a blueprint for other provinces grappling with the same challenges. If it fails, however, it risks adding yet another layer of confusion to an already fractured system.

For now, the province’s commuters and drivers are watching closely, hoping that out of tragedy, a safer way to travel might finally emerge.

{Source: IOL}

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