Durban - A large number of drivers from South Africa’s e-hailing community have opted to down their apps and conduct a stay away on Thursday, while awaiting a reply from the government on the demands made in a memorandum.
E-hailing spokesperson Vhatuka Mbelengwa spoke to IOL about the latest developments since the break out of a protest this week.
The community embarked on the strike over several issues that have been experienced within the sector.
“Today we aren’t gathering, just observing a stay away and de-escalating as a result of concern because of incident reports,” Mbelengwa said.
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and Cosatu have also reportedly joined in on the strike.
Protest action broke out across parts of South Africa, with reports indicating that a police officer was also allegedly assaulted after running into a group of protesters on Tuesday.
According to Mbelengwa, a memorandum of grievances was delivered to the government on Tuesday.
The memo was received by the office of the Presidency, who then instructed the community to engage with the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as the Department of Transport.
Among the demands set out, the community wanted President Cyril Ramaphosa to show leadership and political willingness to regulate the e-hailing industry.
They also want Ramaphosa to compel Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula to engage with them, adding that he “has no appetite to resolve industry problems”.
The e-hailing community also met with the Gauteng Transport MEC on Tuesday but said the meeting was fruitless.
With petrol prices reaching the R20 mark this year, drivers have expressed concerns about the low profit margins in the industry. App operators reportedly earn 25% of each trip.
IOL