“Afrikaans Uber” leading big battle in South Africa

E-hailing service Wanatu has received the support of hundreds of drivers from competing platforms in its legal action against Tshwane authorities.

Wanatu is an e-hailing platform that launched last year based on the service offering that all its drivers are fluent in Afrikaans. Its name is a play on the Afrikaans word “waarnatoe”, which translates as “where to”.

Wanatu temporarily suspended operations on 5 February 2025 after the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) impounded two of its vehicles.

It described the department’s actions as “unlawful,” accused the metro police of intimidating its drivers, and threatened to take the matter to court.

Wanatu said it regarded the safety of its passengers and the requirements and regulations of South African laws to be more important than chasing profits, which is why it halted services until the matter was resolved.

The Wanatu vehicle impoundments came after Gauteng Provincial Legislature member Ayanda Allie accused the metro of having double standards when it came to acting against e-hailing drivers.

Allie has been supporting Bolt, InDrive, and Uber drivers who complained about an e-hailing crackdown by the TMPD that started in late 2024.

TMPD officers have set up strategic roadblocks in areas with a lot of e-hailing activity to fine and impound drivers without road carrier permits.

Before an amendment to the National Roads Traffic Act came into effect in June 2024, e-hailing drivers were operating in a legal grey area.

E-hailing services, drivers, and representative associations welcomed the addition of road carrier permits specifically for the industry.

However, the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department — responsible for issuing road carrier permits in the province — currently has a severe backlog of more than 20,000 pending permit applications.

The issue has dragged on for well over a year, with the authority suspending new applications in November 2023, even before the new legislation came into effect.

Many e-hailing drivers in Tshwane are left with two options: stop working and lose their income or operate and hope that the TMPD does not pull them over.

While the provincial government has asked traffic authorities for lenient enforcement against e-hailing drivers, the TMPD has allegedly deliberately targeted them.

E-hailing drivers have complained of having to pay between R3,000 and R6,000 to get their vehicles released.

Drivers have been advised to carry any proof of attempts to apply for their permits, but these have also proven useless in many cases.

Although the Tshwane MMC for transport has met with e-hailing drivers and representatives, the discussions have not resulted in any definitive resolution to the problem.

Wanatu waging battle on behalf of all e-hailing drivers

On 6 February, Wanatu invited e-hailing drivers from other companies to get in touch to join its court action against Tshwane authorities.

“Wanatu is fighting for e-hailing driver rights in court. If you’re an e-hailing driver and can’t represent yourself, join our application,” the company said.

In two days, it received over 200 e-mails from despondent e-hailing drivers frustrated with the current permit system and impounding.

The company said it continued to receive more e-mails daily.

Wanatu’s court action is being supported by the non-profit organisation The Lions and the Tshwane West E-hailing Association, which is being registered as the Mzansi Independent E-Hailing Partners.

The company told MyBroadband it was hopeful a court would find the city’s actions unreasonable, considering the backlog in permits.

Bolt, InDrive, and Uber have not suspended operations in Tshwane.

However, there is a greater risk that Wanatu’s vehicles will be impounded as they are all the same make and model and clearly branded, making them soft targets for the TMPD.

This is not the first time the disconnect between e-hailing operations and South African legislation governing metered taxis has caused problems between drivers and authorities.

In 2022, e-hailing drivers in Cape Town went on strike after the city impounded over 2,000 of their vehicles for transporting passengers without operating permits.

The drivers were unable to obtain those permits because the city had frozen new applications, which it said was necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the metered-taxi industry.