South Africa: Gauteng Taxis Could Shut Down Next Week

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Scrolla report dated 21 July 2026, says Gauteng’s main taxi industry bodies have warned that services across the province could be halted if Premier Panyaza Lesufi does not step into a dispute with Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela within seven days. The warning comes from SANTACO Gauteng and the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance, which say their relationship with the MEC has deteriorated sharply.

According to the report, the disagreement centres on consultation procedures rather than fares or direct financial demands. The taxi groups accuse Diale-Tlabela of engaging individual taxi associations without first involving elected provincial and regional leadership structures, which they describe as a break from established protocol. SANTACO Gauteng spokesperson Graham Fritz said the industry objected to leadership being excluded from such meetings, not to the MEC visiting associations.

The organisations also said earlier requests for meetings — one to the MEC on 29 June and another to Lesufi on 10 July — had not been answered. They warned that, if ignored, they could organise a protest march to submit a memorandum of grievances to the premier. Diale-Tlabela rejected the view that the relationship had collapsed, saying she remained willing to meet while continuing government work.

The report notes the potential impact could be significant because the taxi industry says it carries more than 60% of Gauteng’s workforce each day. A shutdown in South Africa’s economic hub would likely disrupt commuters and businesses. Scrolla also linked the current standoff to earlier tensions, including a two-day Ekurhuleni strike over impounded taxis and threats of rank closures after taxi-related violence in Soweto.