by Xinhua writers Zodidi Mhlana, Bai Ge

JOHANNESBURG, Sep. 5 (Xinhua) -- A two-day shutdown by taxi operators in Durban, South Africa's third-largest city, ended on Friday as provincial officials met with industry representatives to find ways of restoring stability amid rising friction with e-hailing services.

The strike was triggered after police impounded 25 minibus taxis in KwaDabeka and Clermont, KwaZulu-Natal Province, in August for operating without valid permits. On Thursday, taxi ranks across Durban stood empty, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The action followed last week's attacks on e-hailing drivers in the city, in which two drivers were shot. Police have arrested 15 suspects, including taxi owners and drivers, as long-standing tensions between South Africa's traditional minibus taxi industry and digital platforms escalate.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Siboniso Duma, a member of the Executive Council for Transport and Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, acknowledged the seriousness of the instability and assured the public that new regulations would be introduced soon to restore order and ensure safer operations.

ESCALATING TENSIONS

Conflicts between taxi operators and e-hailing drivers have intensified in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, marked by shootings and arson. In August, a 27-year-old e-hailing driver was shot dead and his car torched outside the Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg.

"Drivers like me rely on WhatsApp groups to share incidents and avoid hotspots," Uber driver Thato Maleke from Soweto told Xinhua over the phone. "You have to be careful with short-trip requests and know safe pick-up and drop-off points. It's a dangerous job, but you have to stay vigilant."

The violence is no longer confined to e-hailing drivers, said Sandile Swana, an Independent analyst, noting that the latest wave is spilling into the bus sector.

In February, two Rea Vaya bus drivers were shot dead in Soweto. Long-distance operators such as Intercape have faced years of intimidation, extortion, and attacks from mini taxi drivers. Intercape said it has opened more than 100 police cases linked to violent incidents.

A COMPLEX HISTORY

South Africa's minibus taxis -- typically 10- to 16-seater vehicles running on fixed or semi-fixed routes-- are the backbone of daily transport for more than 10 million people. They gained prominence in the 1970s during apartheid, providing affordable mobility for township residents excluded from segregated transport systems.

Despite government resistance, the sector expanded rapidly through the 1980s and 1990s, as authorities sought to rein it in with strict licensing rules that proved difficult to enforce, leaving many operators without permits.

In 1987, taxis were formally allowed to operate without restrictions, transforming a small, informal system into a dominant force in public transport -- but one increasingly marred by violent clashes between rival associations over routes.

Post-apartheid reforms since 1994 have struggled to curb the industry's entrenched informality. While permits were issued and routes allocated under formal regulation, the minibus taxi sector has largely resisted change, remaining both indispensable and deeply contested in South Africa's transport landscape.

FINDING WAYS OUT

While the minibus taxi industry has been crucial in connecting township and rural residents to cities -- providing access to jobs, education, and healthcare -- it has also faced criticism over safety, with frequent accidents and fatalities reported each year.

Thando Qamarana, an independent transport expert, told Xinhua that oversaturation in the sector has fueled conflicts, arguing that the government should have halted the issuance of operating licenses years ago.

"It's not purely an economic matter. There's an element of criminality that has crept into the industry. The state should have been more circumspect in issuing licenses," he said, stressing the need for firm enforcement of laws and licensing requirements.

According to Duma, the national transport department is addressing systemic challenges and plans to gazette long-awaited regulations for the e-hailing industry within 21 days.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said that during an April meeting with the taxi industry, both sides agreed to establish a joint task team to fast-track the digitization of operating licenses and curb route encroachments, a major driver of taxi violence.

"There must be proper law enforcement. The state has to be firm with the taxi industry and bring the industry back on the right track," Qamarana noted. ■