The Gauteng government has been given a seven-day ultimatum by the provincial taxi industry, warning that it will embark on a province-wide shutdown if its demands are ignored.

Gauteng National Taxi Alliance chairperson, Mpho Motsepe, says taxi organisations, including South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) will hand over a memorandum to the Premier’s Office.

They are calling for urgent intervention and a meeting with Roads and Transport MEC, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela. The industry says if there is no response within seven days, they will organise a protest march within the province.

The Gauteng taxi industry says its relationship Diale-Tlabela has completely broken down, accusing her of sidelining elected taxi leadership and creating administrative chaos.

Speaking during a media briefing, Gauteng National Taxi Alliance spokesperson, Theo Malele said repeated engagements with the MEC failed after she allegedly bypassed established industry structures by engaging directly with individual taxi operators instead of recognised leadership.

Malele said several operational challenges have emerged under the MEC’s administration, including the issuing of operating licences.

“One of the problem is that if a person has applied for their operating licences for example in Johannesburg, they may have to go and uplift the licence in Ekurhuleni and the leadership in the industry finds that to be strenuous because why can’t people uplift their operating licences from where they have applied.”

Santaco spokesperson, Graham Fritz, says the breakdown in its relationship with Diale-Tlabela, stems from what it describes as her disregard for the taxi industry’s elected leadership.

“She was very rude actually. Ever since the MEC decided to go to the associations themselves without the protocol from the provincial leadership who are mandated and elected to guide and lead all the taxi associations. So, the MEC has gone to the associations without the leaders and the region.”

VIDEO | Fritz says they have asked the MEC not to engage the taxi associations without the provincial leadership:

The Gauteng taxi industry is calling on the provincial government to recognise and engage its elected leadership in all decisions affecting the sector.

“We therefore call upon the honourable MEC to respect the recognised provincial leadership structures of the taxi industry to avoid situations like her announcement of the National Consolidated Fund from the remnant of the TRP (Taxi Recapitalisation Programme) and Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTN) funds before presenting it to the provincial leadership. Suspend any cancellation or adverse action relating to operating licenses arising from the flawed collection process,” says Gauteng National Taxi Alliance Chairperson, Mpho Motsepe.

Diale-Tlabela has rejected claims of a breakdown in relations with the taxi industry. She says the department continues to engage industry leaders through scheduled quarterly meetings.

“Apparently the taxi industry says there is a broken relationship because we don’t meet. We meet quarterly. We met them on the 11th of May, we are due to meet them at the end of the second quarter. But at their request, we need to meet them urgently. We are now on the ground doing local grounds that we need to do, that they don’t want us to do and they believe we are doing it without them and we did tell them that we will be on the ground doing this work.”

📢📢📢Media Statement📢📢📢

MEC Diale-Tlabela reaffirms taxi industry collaboration and strengthened governance in Operating Licence System.

#RoadSafety #AgaLeRona #GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/meQaaYA0m5

— GP Roads and Transport (@GPDRT_) July 20, 2026

The taxi industry has now placed the Gauteng Provincial Government on notice, giving Premier Panyaza Lesufi seven days to intervene in the dispute.

– Report by Nonhlanhla Ntshingila