The “Afrikaans Uber” service Wanatu is taking legal action against Tshwane’s authorities over its crackdown of e-hailing vehicles.
The company has received the support of hundreds of drivers across various e-hailing platforms voicing their concerns about the alleged “unlawful” activities of the metro.
Between a rock and a hard place
Wanatu is a new e-hailing platform that launched in 2024 and has unofficially been dubbed the “Afrikaans Uber” owing to its name and language policy.
The name is a play on the Afrikaans word “waarnatoe,” which translates to “where to,” and the company also requires that all its drivers are fluent in Afrikaans.
The service temporarily suspended its operations on 5 February 2025 after two of its vehicles were impounded by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD).
Wanatu described the metro’s actions as unlawful and accused the police of intimidating its drivers.
It went on to say that ensuring the safety of its passengers and adhering to South African laws and regulations is more important than chasing profits, and subsequently shut down its services until the dispute is resolved.
The impoundments were spurred by Gauteng Provincial Legislature member Ayanda Allie, who accused the Tshwane metro of having double standards with regard to enforcing regulations on e-hailing drivers.
Other e-hailing companies such as Bolt, Uber, and inDrive have been complaining about a crackdown by the TMPD that started in late 2024, with officers setting up strategic roadblocks to fine and impound drivers without road carrier permits.
Many drivers were angered by this tactic as they had already applied for a licence, but the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department currently has a severe backlog of over 20,000 pending road carrier permit applications.
This issue has persisted for well over a year, too, as the department suspended new applications in November 2023 – several months before an amendment was made to the National Roads Traffic Act in June 2024 that introduced the requirement for the road permits, according to MyBroadband.
This effectively leaves e-hailing drivers with one of two choices: either stop working and lose their income, or continue to operate and hope that they aren’t pulled over by the TMPD.
When their vehicle is impounded for lacking the necessary credentials, it can cost anywhere from R3,000 to R6,000 to get it back.
Drivers are encouraged to carry proof of their application to negate this issue, but these have not been accepted in many cases.
Resolving the issue
On 6 February, Wanatu called upon other e-hailing drivers 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,” it said.
It didn’t take long for the company to gain support, as it received over 200 emails in just the first two days from operators expressing their frustration with the current cycle of permit applications and impoundments.
The e-hailing service’s court battle is being supported by non-profit organisation The Lions and the Tshwane West E-hailing Association, which is being registered as the Mzansi Independent E-Hailing Partners.
While Wanatu has suspended its services until the matter is resolved, Bolt, Uber, and inDrive are continuing to operate in the city.
One of the concerns for Wanatu vehicles is that they are more easily identified than other services, as they all use Toyota Corolla Cross models with clear branding – making them an easy target for TMPD roadblocks.
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