Taxi Industry Wars Lead to Brutal Murder in South Africa

Author: Sibusiso Gugushe

August 25, 2025

HRRC condemns the brutal killing of e-hailing service provider, Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase. The South African government and local law enforcement must ensure protections for all citizens and hold those responsible accountable for their crimes.

Wave of violence against e-hailing drivers: 13 fatalities in two weeks, E-hailing Council reacts. August 17, 2025 [Image credit: Itumeleng English]

Community members of Soweto, South Africa are up in arms after e-hailing service provider Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase was shot and set alight inside his vehicle by taxi drivers at Maponya Mall last Wednesday. The E-hailing Partners Council (EPCO) condemned the attack, characterizing it as heinous and a deliberate act of destruction. Earlier that week, South African Police Service representatives held a meeting to discuss a spike in e-hailing related killings due to a death toll of 12 drivers, all of whom had been murdered in the form of an execution-style killing.

Mvelase’s murder is the result of ongoing wars within the taxi industry as well as with other transport providers, namely in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape provinces. South African Taxi Council (SANTACO) has come to the industry’s defense by issuing the following statement, “We urge members of the public to avoid speculation and unfounded accusations that automatically place the taxi industry at fault. Such assumptions not only harm the reputation of the industry,” (IOL, 2025), not wanting to be held accountable for the exacerbated conditions that have led to a rise in transport driver deaths, both inside the taxi industry and in similar transport systems.

Internal conflict within the taxi industry has been rife with intimidation tactics, harassment, assassinations, kidnappings, corruption and extortion for years. It is part of a systematic practice of intimidation and harassment used by some taxi companies to maintain control over passenger transportation routes (SAFTU, 2025). At the core of the battle is severe rivalry for gaining customers in a decreasing economy, with growing unemployment resulting in fewer commuters for taxis and e-hailing services The introduction of e-hailing services to South Africa such as Uber in 2013, have somehow worsened the predicament. E-hailing services may pick up clients straight from their homes and carry them to their office doorsteps, skipping taxi ranks and bus stops where minibus taxis have historically waited. This has displaced many cab drivers, fueling discontent and, on occasion, violence. Internecine violence within the taxi industry itself is equally appalling. Rival taxi associations and competing routes have resulted in gun conflicts in  public places, catching innocent commuters, onlookers, and workers in the crossfire. This continued carnage has orphaned countless children and deprived families of their breadwinners, exacerbating poverty and misery in working-class neighbourhoods.

Platform owners like Uber and Bolt take a large portion of the commissions from e-hailing drivers: Drivers pay for the car out of their own pockets, including the purchase price, installment payments, maintenance and repairs, fuel, and insurance. As banks, financiers, taxi drivers, and corporate platforms profit from their labor, this chain of pressure fuels desperation and rivalry, setting workers against one another.

The multibillion-rand taxi industry reckons that these services have an easier entry into the market but their biggest gripe, and perhaps a microcosm of the violence at large, is that e-hailing services are unregulated as their drivers are not required to have permits. The rapid incursion of unregulated drivers causes congestion on various transport routes, and as a result violence sometimes ensues, jeopardizing the safety of passengers. The absence of government intervention in e-hailing services also leaves wiggle room for illegal activities to take place.

There has been a troubling spike in allegations of hijackings, abductions, sexual harassment, and other violent crimes, all linked to the unregulated functioning of e-hailing services under the current legal gaps (Nkadimeng, 2025). In an attempt to monopolize the sector, taxi owners have resorted to other methods (sabotage) to maintain control over other modes of transport. Private and long-distance buses have been targeted with attacks, including arson, in an attempt to eliminate competition and force workers to rely solely on taxis. In certain areas taxi companies have set up illegal roadblocks, halting private vehicles to question drivers and passengers. Additionally, they have reported being forced to kiss each other to "prove" they are husband and wife after being accused of giving or receiving a lift, and automobiles have been seized with hefty release fees (SAFTU, 2025) . These actions are inhumane and must be condemned unequivocally. They infringe the rights of workers, commuters, and the public, undermining any claim to serve communities.

The silver lining in the chaos of it all is that SANTCO has urged the government to enforce the modified National Land Transport Act (NLTA) regulations in the e-hailing services industry. The NLTA seeks to regulate and administer the transportation of public passengers for compensation. This comprises the services provided by taxis, buses, trains, and private cars used for e-hailing purposes.

It is unfortunate that a tragedy of this magnitude had to occur for the relevant authorities to start acting. To address taxi wars in South Africa, the Department of Transport, SAPS and taxi associations should assist each other in establishing an integrated transport network whereby commuters are prioritized. Political inertia has further impeded efforts to reduce violence, and the involvement of officials in the taxi industry compromises effective law enforcement. However, the establishment of a thorough, proactive regulatory framework with a specialized oversight body to monitor compliance could reduce violence in the sector.

Accountability would be ensured by formalizing the ownership system, especially for those who incite violence (Modipa, 2024). SAFTU is calling for immediate mediation. Fix the main problems: Deal with high unemployment, unfair lending practices, bad working conditions, and unfair competition in the transport sector. Improve safety by increasing police and security in dangerous areas and set up emergency help systems for all transport workers. Revamp public transport: Create a government-run, connected transport system where taxis act as local links, e-hailing services are treated fairly, and commuting is cheap, safe, and dependable.

---

Glossary

• Appalling - causing shock or dismay; horrific.

• Arson - the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.

• Breadwinner - a person who earns money to support a family.

• Carnage - the killing of a large number of people.

• Commuters - a person who travels some distance to work on a regular basis.

• Compliance - the action or fact of obeying a wish or command.

• Congestion - crowded or overcrowded; typically used to describe traffic.

• Deprive - deny (a person or place) the possession or use of something.

• Discontent - dissatisfaction with one's circumstances.

• E-hailing - the practice of using a digital platform or app to request and arrange transportation services, typically through a mobile device.

• Exacerbated - made something worse.

• Exploitative - taking unfair advantage of someone for your own benefit.

• Extortion - the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.

• Financial illiteracy - not knowing how to use money wisely.

• Financiers - a person concerned with the management of large amounts of money on behalf of governments or other large organizations.

• Gripe - complain about something in a non-stop, irritating way.

• Heinous - something shockingly evil.

• Hijackings - unlawfully taking over an aircraft, vehicle, or ship while in transit.

• Impeded - to block someone or something .

• Incursion - an invasion or attack, especially a sudden or brief one.

• Infringe - actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.).

• Installment payments - refers to a customer paying a bill in small portions throughout a fixed period of time.

• Integrated - different things or people are put together so they can work together.

• Internecine - destructive to both sides in a conflict.

• Intimidation - making someone feel scared, nervous or small on purpose.

• Jeopardizing - put (someone or something) into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or failure.

• Magnitude - the great size or extent of something.

• Mediation - intervention in a dispute or conflict in order to resolve it.

• Microcosm - community, place, or situation regarded as a small version of something bigger.

• Monopolize - to obtain sole possession or control of a trade, object, or service by an organization or group.

• Political inertia - when government or leaders don’t make changes or take action when something needs to be fixed.

• Predicament - a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.

• Orphan - a child whose parents are dead.

• Oversight body - an independent committee, institution, or agency with a distinct command to monitor, evaluate, and ensure accountability for the actions and decisions of other entities, such as government bodies, organizations, or specific sectors.

• Ownership system - broad concept describing how rights to use, control, and benefit from an asset or entity are established and distributed among individuals or groups.

• Out of pocket - paying with your own money.

• Rand - South African currency.

• Receiving a lift - to be given a ride in a vehicle, like a car, from one place to another, often as a favor.

• Reckons - thinks or believes.

• Regulatory framework - a formal, structured system of rules, guidelines, and procedures established by a government or other authority to control a specific industry, sector, or activity.

• Rife - widespread, often with something undesirable.

• Rivalry - competition or fight between people or groups who both want to win or be the best.

• Set alight - to set something on fire.

• Spike - sudden, sharp increase in something.

• Speculation - guessing about something that might happen or be true with knowing for sure.

• Unequivocally - in a way that leaves no doubt.

• Unfair lending practices - exploitative or abusive loan terms and practices that take advantage of a borrower's desperation, financial illiteracy, or other vulnerabilities for the lender's benefit

• Wiggle room - capacity or scope for negotiation or operation, especially in order to modify a previous statement or decision.

---

Sources

1. IOL. (2025, August 15). E-hailing crisis: 13 drivers killed in two weeks. IOL. Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/2025-08-15-e-hailing-crisis-13-drivers-killed-in-two-weeks/

2. Modipa, M., 2024. Taxi Violence in South Africa: A review of literature and critical analysis. Journal of Education and Learning Technology, [online] pp.598–605. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.202451017.

3. Nkadimeng, I. (2025, August 14). Santaco calls for e-hailing regulations to be implemented immediately. TimesLIVE. Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-08-14-santaco-calls-for-e-hailing-regulations-to-be-implemented-immediately/

4. SAFTU. (2025, August 14). SAFTU condemns the heinous killing of an e-hailing driver in Soweto. SAFTU. Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://saftu.org.za/archives/9043