Just months after the introduction in Gauteng of an e-hailing service owned by the minibus taxi industry, confrontations have emerged, with taxi operators demanding “by force” that Uber and Bolt drivers convert to their new Shesha app.
So ugly are the confrontations that Bolt and Uber drivers have stopped taking passengers to parts of Ekurhuleni and Joburg where they have been intimidated and extorted.
In April, the National Taxi Alliance and the SA National Taxi Council partnered to introduce Shesha, an e-hailing service own by the minibus sector.
Bolt driver Sabelo Nkosi said that in June he was dropping off a customer at the Birch Acres Mall in Thembisa at about 3.30pm when he was stopped by a group of men. He had picked up the customer in Kempton Park. “The men said they do not want Uber and Bolt dropping people at the mall,” he said.
They told me the other companies are now being removed by force and everyone must use Shesha because it is a local company
— Sabelo Nkosi, Bolt driver
“They told me that everyone must now use Shesha, and anyone without a Shesha sticker will face the consequences. When the passenger saw what was happening, he got off the car and ran away. These guys then demanded R15,000 as a fine.”
Nkosi said he had told the group he had a choice of which app he could use as an e-hailing driver. “They told me the other companies are now being removed by force and everyone must use Shesha because it is a local company. They then demanded that I pay their fine. I ended up paying R1,500 as this was the money I had at the time,” he said.
Since the incident, Nkosi has decided not to take trips to that area.
Another Bolt driver said he was dropping a passenger off at Tsakane Mall, Ekurhuleni, on May 24 when a group of men approached him. “As I dropped the customer, the guys from the taxi association got into my car and said I have been arrested,” said the driver, who was too scared to be named.
“They said I have been arrested because I don’t have a Shesha sticker on my vehicle. They told me they had attended a meeting in which they were informed that anyone without a Shesha sticker must be arrested.”
The driver said the group then fined him R2,500, which he did not have. He called his brother who has connections in the taxi industry and he was later released with just R70 “for cold drink”.
He added: “On the day of the incident, there were four other drivers who were ‘arrested’ at the mall. It is totally unacceptable what these guys are doing. I no longer drop anyone at that mall. If someone requests a me for Tsakane Mall, I immediately decline it.”
He said when these men confront the e-hailing drivers, they introduce themselves as people working for Shesha.
Shesha board member and chair of the Soweto United E-hailing Association, Thato Ramaila, said the company was aware of the confrontations. “We have spoken to the taxi associations and informed them they cannot go and introduce Shesha by themselves because people think it is a confrontation. They see all the taxi association patrol cars and they feel intimidated. Now Shesha will go by itself to do promotions to Uber and Bolt drivers and also the public,” he said.
Ramaila said 17,000 drivers had joined Shesha and 5,000 people had downloaded the app since the May launch. “We are saying to the public, let us use a local app because it grows our people ... In seven days, we will be going to taxi ranks and malls to introduce Shesha so people know there is a local app they can use for e-hailing services,” he said.
Over the years, the taxi industry has had ugly clashes with the e-hailing services, which they feel is encroaching on their business. In June 2023, two vehicles were torched at the Maponya Mall in Soweto, allegedly by angry taxi operators who did not want e-hailing taxis to operate in their space.
E-hailing drivers operating in the Braamfontein area told the Sunday Times this week they were aware of Shesha. “We actually think that Shesha is not a bad idea, but the way the people have introduced the brand to us is bad,” said driver Timothy Ndlovu.
“They came here months ago and were not polite. They failed to explain why we should leave the other platforms and use Shesha. They did not have all the information about Shesha, so we were not interested. It was like they expected us to just join Shesha without a proper understanding of what it is all about.”
Passengers who spoke to the Sunday Times said they did not know about Shesha.
Bolt’s regional public relations manager Sandra Suzanne Buyole said the company was aware of the harassment and intimidation of drivers. “We wish to emphasise that we take very seriously any concerns raised by drivers on our platform. We have so far encouraged all drivers who have been victims of any of these attacks to open a case with SAPS.”
Gauteng roads & transport department spokesperson Lesiba Mpya said they were aware of the tension between Shesha and other e-hailing taxi operators. “The department strongly condemns all threats and killings across the public transport sector and calls on law enforcement to take action against anyone found intimidating others. The department is engaged in discussions [with the intention] to mediate.”
Mpya said the department accepted that e-hailing operators were a new reality. “Therefore they must coexist with the minibus taxi operators, as long as all operators are legal and compliant.”
Ekurhuleni metro police department said it was not aware of the confrontations. However, spokesperson Supt Marie Mashishi said they welcome any legally abiding e-hailing operator to work within the municipality.
Uber did not respond to questions.
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