Johannesburg – Gauteng transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says an agreement has been reached for e-hailing drivers and minibus taxi operators to operate side by side at Soweto’s Maponya Mall, following days of tension and the killing of a 27-year-old driver.
According to Times Live, the deal, brokered during mediation with mall management, operators and community leaders on Thursday, averts a threatened seven-day shutdown of the shopping centre.
It comes after two e-hailing drivers were shot at and their vehicles torched on Wednesday night.
One of them, Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase — who had only started the job on Monday — was killed, while another driver and a passerby were wounded.
Disturbing CCTV footage of the crime sparked public outrage.
Situation at maponya mall Soweto, taxi association set 2 e-hailing cars alight as always claiming that the e-hailing is destroying their businesses. pic.twitter.com/hP2sch5jgB
— Chigbo Dike (@Chigbodikeizu) August 13, 2025
Diale-Tlabela said the agreement includes:
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Prioritising the police investigation to arrest the perpetrators.
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Allowing all transport operators to pick up and drop off passengers inside the mall.
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Keeping the mall open to protect jobs.
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Establishing a temporary government office to assist operators with licensing.
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Ensuring no operator or passenger faces intimidation.
She added that her department will continue to facilitate peaceful resolutions between all transport sectors, including scholar transport, minibus taxis, e-hailing, buses and meter taxis.
Meanwhile, Soweto Parliament president Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini, speaking outside the mall on Friday, rejected claims of a “turf war” between taxis and e-hailers, calling it “business competition” rather than conflict.
According to The Citizen, He said both taxi associations and e-hailing groups denied being in dispute, and suggested Mvelase’s killing was unrelated to an industry feud.
Lux praised Gauteng and Johannesburg authorities for intervening and said he was at Maponya Mall to ensure it was not attacked. He backed Pimville community calls for peace, but criticised “sponsored crowds” he claimed were sowing division.
Tensions between taxis and e-hailers at the mall date back to 2023, with e-hailing drivers previously forced to collect passengers outside the centre due to taxi operators enforcing a “no-go zone”.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
