SOWETO – The joy of finally finding work was cut short for 27-year-old Mthokozisi Mvelase, who was brutally murdered outside Maponya Mall on Wednesday night, just three days after starting his job as an e-hailing driver.
Mvelase, who had recently returned to Gauteng from KwaZulu-Natal in search of employment, was shot by a group of armed men before his vehicle was set alight, reducing his body to ashes. Police say the attack is suspected to be linked to ongoing taxi violence in the area.
According to SAPS spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, four men approached Mvelase’s vehicle at the mall entrance, opened fire, and torched it. A second e-hailing vehicle nearby was also targeted but its driver managed to escape before his car was burnt.
The killing has ignited fresh tensions between taxi operators and e-hailing drivers. Pimville residents responded yesterday by blocking roads and calling for Maponya Mall to be closed for seven days. A minibus taxi was also torched after its driver attempted to bypass barricades placed by the community.
Mvelase’s aunt, Zanele Khuzwayo, described him as overjoyed to finally have a job that would allow him to provide for his sick mother in KwaZulu-Natal. She said he was so determined to begin work that he personally repaired the car he was allocated to drive.
The tragedy has intensified calls from e-hailing associations for government action. Nathi Dhlamini, a leader within Soweto’s e-hailing sector, said the violence is part of a wider struggle over mall access. “We are not only fighting for Maponya Mall but for all malls across Gauteng. We cannot coexist with minibus operators under these conditions,” he said.
The unrest also exposed divisions within the e-hailing industry itself, with Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela warning that fragmentation among e-hailing leadership complicates negotiations. She urged both sectors to allow commuters the freedom to choose their mode of transport without intimidation.
Private Transport Association spokesperson Vhathuka Mbelengwa said the lack of regulation fuels the conflict. “Unlike taxis, e-hailing drivers have no fixed routes or permits, which creates clashes. Government must take a position to resolve this,” he said.
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