Soweto Residents Demand Accountability After Deadly Attack on E-Hailing Drivers at Maponya Mall

Soweto Residents Demand Accountability After Deadly Attack on E-Hailing Drivers at Maponya Mall

Soweto residents have vowed to keep Maponya Mall closed for seven days following a deadly attack on e-hailing drivers, which they allege was orchestrated by minibus taxi operators seeking to monopolize the transport sector. The community is demanding that the mall’s management and government officials take accountability for the volatile situation.

Residents described the attack as an affront to their rights, highlighting that customers should have the freedom to choose services like Uber without intimidation or coercion from taxi operators. “When I say I want to take an Uber, I must be allowed,” one resident said. “We must be given our preferences, and the government must protect our rights as the consumers of this country.”

The community criticized the mall management for deploying security forces when residents attempted to seek answers, claiming that the response suggested complicity in the incident. “The only thing they were supposed to do was come down to the people and tell them that they have received what has happened. They are also shocked as us, but clearly, they’re in cahoots with what is happening,” a community leader said.

Residents also stressed the seriousness of the attack, noting that firearms like AK-47s were used, leaving drivers hospitalized and the community shaken. They warned that their seven-day closure would include no entry for workers or customers until mall management showed “humility” and addressed the incident.

The protests reflect broader concerns about taxi monopolies at other Johannesburg malls, including Jabulani Mall and Southgate. Community members insist that they will continue advocating for the protection of consumer choice and public safety in their neighborhoods.