Dust settles after Maponya Mall taxi violence

After violent scenes and community protest last week, Maponya Mall is now fully open again. Photo: Silver Sibiya

The dust appears to have settled after violent scenes at Maponya Mall in Soweto last week. The mall is open again and taxis and e-hailing drivers are both operating from there.

Tensions between e-hailing drivers and taxi associations bubbled over on the night of 13 August. Two e-hailing vehicles were shot at and torched. A driver, Mthokozisi Mvelase, was killed, and another seriously injured. A passer-by was also injured.

The next day, hundreds of Soweto residents surrounded the mall in protest, demanding an end to the conflict between minibus taxi operators and e-hailing drivers.

On Monday, Gauteng’s MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela met with taxi associations and e-hailing associations, as well as the mall’s management, and it was resolved that the mall would remain open and both e-hailing and taxi services would be allowed to operate on the premises.

Diale-Tlabela said that all malls in Gauteng will allow e-hailing services to operate. “We are determined to bring peace and ensure that all public transport operators work together,” she told GroundUp.

She said she will meet the parties involved every Friday to address concerns and work towards a peaceful resolution of any problems.

Mpho Hlahla from the industry association Johannesburg E-hailing Services told GroundUp that they welcomed the opportunity to operate at the mall but asked for designated spaces for e-hailing services. “We want proper demarcation at the mall, like at Eastgate Mall,” Hlahla said.

National Taxi Alliance spokesperson Theo Malele, during a media briefing on Monday, acknowledged that there is violence in the industry and condemned such acts. “We encourage the public to report any thuggery to the authorities,” he said.

But community leader Thabang Moloi questioned why the community had not been invited to the meeting with Diale-Tlabela. “They don’t invite us because they are undermining us. We don’t care who is fighting whom; we just want safety at the mall,” Moloi told GroundUp.

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