On Thursday, Pretoria’s inner-city traffic came to a halt as e-hailing drivers in Gauteng took to the streets to protest against the Tshwane metro police’s continued impounding of their vehicles. The protest, which included drivers from Uber, inDrive, and Bolt, unfolded outside Tshwane House on Madiba Street, causing severe congestion at key intersections and further disrupting the flow of traffic in the city.
The drivers are expressing their frustration over the metro police’s enforcement of vehicle impoundments, claiming that many of them are being targeted for not having the necessary permits. While the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has promised to issue the required permits, the operators argue that the process has been painfully slow, leaving many in limbo for years.
Wonder Gala, President of the Pretoria E-Hailing Association, spoke out during the protest, pointing out that the government’s failure to issue permits was exacerbating their situation. “When our vehicles are impounded, we are forced to pay at least R6,000 to get them back. Some officers even demand bribes ranging from R1,000 to R1,500 to release us,” he said. Gala, who has been working with Uber since 2014, explained that the requirements for operating had shifted multiple times. What initially seemed straightforward—just a PrDP document, roadworthiness certificate, and a double-disc—has turned into an increasingly frustrating battle for many drivers.
Lwalo Nuntzeni, another e-hailing driver from Florida, highlighted how the issue is spreading across Gauteng, with metro police targeting drivers in areas like Germiston and Pretoria West as well. “It’s becoming a province-wide issue now,” he said. Mlungisi Mabuya, representing the Pretoria West e-hailing association, added that many drivers have been waiting for years, holding on to receipts for “Ola” applications while their permits remain unprocessed. “We’ve been waiting two to three years for something that was promised to take only three months,” Mabuya lamented.
In November 2024, a meeting was held between e-hailing operators and Tlangi Mogale, Tshwane’s Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for roads and transport, to try and resolve the ongoing issue. Mogale confirmed that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, led by MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, is facing a massive backlog of 6,100 permit applications, with only 2,500 being resolved. To address the problem, a crisis committee was formed, convening weekly with various municipalities to speed up the process.
However, the protest outside Tshwane House on Thursday was marked by a refusal from the drivers to hand over their memorandum of grievances to Mogale. They insisted that their concerns be received by Mayor Nasiphi Moya, who was unavailable at the time. Mogale, responding to the protest, described it as “highly politicised,” and suggested that some of the drivers, especially those who are foreign nationals, were unable to provide the required documentation for new applications.
Build One South Africa (BOSA), a political party, has called for swift action from both the national and provincial transport departments to address the backlog of operating licenses. Ayanda Allie, a BOSA member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, emphasized the critical role that e-hailing drivers play in the economy. “The South African government is failing to adapt to the realities of the digital economy. Uber, Bolt, and inDrive drivers, who are crucial to this economy, are being denied permits due to outdated meter taxi regulations. This lack of foresight is stifling innovation and destroying job creation,” she said.
As the situation unfolds, e-hailing drivers are left waiting for a solution that seems increasingly elusive, with the backlog of permit applications continuing to grow. With their livelihoods at stake, many operators are calling for immediate action from the relevant authorities to ensure that they can continue their work without fear of harassment or impoundment.
