Wanatu, known as South Africa’s “Afrikaans Uber”, has won a landmark court case for all e-hailing drivers in South Africa.
The North Gauteng High Court today granted an urgent interdict to the e-hailing service and seven co-applicants, prohibiting the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) from impounding their vehicles until the process of obtaining permits is resumed.
Wanatu is South Africa’s newest e-hailing platform, launched in October 2024 in the cities of Pretoria and Centurion.
The name is a play on the Afrikaans word “waarnatoe” – which translates to “where to” – and one of the requirements for becoming a Wanatu driver is that applicants must be fluent in Afrikaans.
Wanatu back in business
Wanatu has to cease operations on 5 February 2025 after the TMPD impounded two of its vehicles on the grounds that they did not have the correct permits.
Wanatu was subsequently able to prove in court that it was impossible to obtain these permits as the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) had officially stopped accepting and processing permit applications.
Wanatu invited e-hailing drivers from all platforms to join its court application against the TMPD, as it’s alleged that hundreds of other operators from the likes of Uber, Bolt, and inDrive have been affected by the GDRT’s inefficiencies and had their vehicles impounded.
It received as many as 200 emails from other e-hailing drivers who claimed to have been accosted by the TMPD just within the first two days of opening its lines.
“This is a victory for every e-hailing driver in Tshwane. The city cannot punish drivers for a backlog they did not cause,” said Judith van der Walt, CEO of Wanatu.
“We are pleased to announce that passengers can now book rides again, our drivers are ready.”
She added that the company remains committed to complying with all South African regulations.
Wanatu will now proceed with a full court application to compel the GDRT to process the outstanding permit applications.
It’s estimated that the entity is sitting with a backlog of over 20,000 road carrier permit applications dating back more than a year.
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