Another shutdown for South Africa on the cards for next week
Gauteng’s taxi industry has threatened a province-wide strike over the failure to issue and renew operating licences.
The National Taxi Alliance announced its plans to organise the strike, which is expected to take place on Tuesday, 28 July 2026.
The taxi council said many operators were not able to renew their operating licences or apply for new ones through Gauteng’s Department of Roads and Transport.
This, it said, is due to backlogs in the renewal process, which have not been addressed by the Roads and Transport Department.
Operating licenses are vital for taxi drivers, who can face hefty fines or have their vehicles impounded if they do not have one.
The MEC for Roads and Transport in Gauteng, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, said these allegations were not true.
She said the current renewal system was working as intended to ensure that illegal operators and “ghost members” were removed.
She said there were several discrepancies between the number of members taxi associations record themselves having and the number registered with her department.
In one case, a taxi organisation said it had 542 members, while the Roads and Transport Department had recorded roughly 4,800 people affiliated with it.
Gauteng’s National Taxi Alliance Chair, Mpho Motsepe, called for a meeting between his organisation and the MEC.
He said this meeting would be to discuss grievances in the taxi industry and that a strike would occur if it was not resolved within seven days.
Motsepe also alleged that the MEC had approached taxi groups without first speaking with the National Taxi Alliance, breaking down normal procedure.
He said this had happened despite his organisation objecting to the meetings and saying that the department’s conduct may lead to violence.
More economic disruptions
The calls for a taxi strike come shortly after South Africa’s last major shutdown, when immigration protests brought many areas to a standstill.
The 30 June protests, widely organised by anti-illegal immigration groups such as March and March, caused severe economic disruptions.
The demonstrations were held to protest illegal immigrants in the country, which many attendees felt were responsible for taking jobs from South Africans.
Many businesses shut down on the day and in the lead up to the demonstrations, causing severe financial losses across the country.
This mainly affected small businesses, which are more likely to feel the impact of a single day’s losses.
A taxi strike would be another blow to South Africa’s economy, since many employees rely on the industry to commute to and from work.
Without access to reliable transport, many businesses may be forced to close their doors or temporarily reduce their operations.
In 2023, a taxi strike was organised in Cape Town, causing severe economic losses for businesses in the city.
The strike occurred due to a mass taxi impoundment process from the city, which SANTACO viewed as unfair and heavy-handed.
These impoundments were due to taxi drivers lacking the required operating licenses or accumulating traffic violations.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce reported that 75% of businesses in the city had more than half of their employees negatively affected by the strike.
69% of businesses also reported losses directly caused by the strikes, and 32% said they had lost more than 50% of their usual daily earnings.
The losses in Cape Town show how vital the taxi industry is to South Africa’s economy and the damage a shutdown can cause.
A taxi strike in Gauteng could place a strain on the province’s economy and could cause significant losses for businesses.
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