Gauteng government demands justice after deadly attack on e-hailing drivers at Maponya Mall

The Gauteng government is demanding urgent action from law enforcement agencies following a horrific incident at Maponya Mall in Soweto, which left one e-hailing driver dead and two others injured.

The violent attack has ignited outrage and raised fresh concerns about safety in the region's public transport system.

The police in Gauteng said four armed men opened fire on a driver at the mall entrance before torching his vehicle, while another e-hailing car nearby was also shot at and set alight.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso  Nevhuhulwi said that as a result, one person was declared dead and two were injured after unknown suspects attacked e-hailing vehicles.

"According to information at hand, an e-hailing vehicle was seen stopping at the entrance when about four men approached the driver and shot at him before torching the car. Another nearby vehicle was shot at, and the driver managed to flee, and his vehicle was also torched. It was later discovered that the driver and another passerby sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to the hospital. A case of murder, attempted murder with two counts, and arson is opened for further investigation,"  Nevhuhulwi stated.

As a result, Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela described the latest incident at the mall as senseless, unacceptable, and a direct threat to the safety and stability of the public transport system.

Speaking on behalf of the MEC, Lesiba Mpya told SABC News that the police will leave no stone unturned in their search for those who could be responsible.

“It's a very tragic affair. We received a report that there has been a violent incident here at Maponya Mall, which resulted in a loss of life and two injuries. Police need to get to the bottom of this heinous act," he said.

Regarding government interventions to curb lawlessness, Mpya revealed that the MEC and her team regularly engage with all stakeholders to find solutions to some of the challenges they face on the roads.

"Every fortnight, transport-related operators, including e-hailers and taxi operators, and bus operators, meet the MEC through the transport crisis committee, focusing on their operations and licences as the MEC tries to purify the industry. She needs the participation of all stakeholders. There have been interventions and there have been conversations. But this has to go beyond condemnation. There must be persuasion of perpetrators. We must charge, arrest, prosecute, sentence, and throw away the keys."

The incident has also been condemned by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party in a statement on Thursday, with party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, stating: "It has become disturbingly common for taxi drivers to bully e-hailing service providers and their passengers, often forcibly removing people from vehicles and coercing them into using taxis instead."

The party said this practice is not only unlawful but deeply unjust, as these bullies even remote elderly people from e-hailing services and lift clubs.

"Lift clubs and private vehicles carrying family members or neighbours headed in the same direction have also not been spared. Drivers have been intimidated and accused of 'stealing business' from taxi operators, although in reality, fully loaded taxis are a frequent sight in South Africa. This points not to a lack of demand, but rather to an unhealthy obsession with monopolising the public transport space," the party said.

This is a developing story with members of the community in Pimville having promised to shut down the mall on Thursday, while members of the SAPS and JMPD have been deployed to the scene to monitor the tense situation.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za