After days of tension, a breakthrough agreement has finally been reached between the KwaZulu-Natal e-Hailing Council and taxi associations in KwaDabeka and Clermont.

According to The Witness, the deal, brokered during a meeting at the KwaDabeka Police Station today (August 29), was facilitated by the police in KwaDabeka Police Station and attended by the provincial Department of Transport’s Public Regulatory Entity (PRE).

Yesterday, police arrested 15 suspects in KwaDabeka township in an attempt to prevent further violence against e-hailing drivers.

MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma hailed today’s agreement as a step towards peace and stability in the province’s public transport sector.

“We wish to pay tribute to e-hailing drivers, taxi drivers, and operators for their commitment towards ensuring peace and stability in the area,” Duma said.

This will not only strengthen the public transport system but also ensure they co-exist.

The meeting resolved to:

• Harmonise relations between e-hailing drivers and taxi operators.
• Work jointly on long-term solutions to maintain peace and stability.
• Enforce traffic laws to improve safety across the transport system.
• Roll out multidisciplinary roadblocks with the SAPS, Road Traffic Inspectorate, Metro Police, and associations to root out illegal operators.
• Keep all stakeholders updated on the implementation of e-hailing regulations under the amended National Land Transport Act.

Duma thanked Provincial Police Commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for deploying the National Intervention Unit to the area after attacks on e-hailing drivers.

“We have agreed to work together to stabilise other areas where there is harassment and extortion of e-hailing drivers by criminal elements,” he said.

Duma also emphasised the provincial government’s commitment to improving the lives of transport workers beyond the sector.

“We want e-hailing drivers and taxi drivers to live comfortably and have access to our housing schemes such as the First Home Buyer scheme,” he said.

He stressed that the agreement marked a new chapter. “Nothing should come between the people of KwaZulu-Natal and prosperity.”