The controversial e-hailing transport service Wanatu has defended its policy of requiring drivers in Pretoria and Centurion to be proficient in Afrikaans, arguing the requirement does not impede hiring but rather a skill that can be developed.

The company Chief Executive Officer Judith van der Walt said: “Wanatu identified the Afrikaans-speaking community in Pretoria and Centurion as a niche market and point of entry to the e-hailing industry and therefore a Wanatu passenger is guaranteed that his or her driver can speak Afrikaans.”

She said Wanatu’s core vision is to provide a secure, dependable, and accessible e-hailing experience for vulnerable passengers such as women and children “with well-trained drivers that speak their language is our core vision and promise to our commuters who choose Wanatu”.

She was addressing concerns raised by critics who accuse the e-hailing company of discriminatory practices by prioritising Afrikaans-speaking drivers.

Van der Walt said: “The ability to speak Afrikaans is, therefore, a core competency of a Wanatu driver in Pretoria and Centurion and is not viewed as a barrier to employment but rather a skill that can be developed. Wanatu employs drivers who can speak at least Afrikaans and English.”

The e-hailing service has faced intense criticism after revelations that it gives preference to Afrikaans-speaking drivers with the City of Tshwane's MMC for Roads and Transport, Tlangi Mogale, publicly condemning Wanatu's Afrikaans-only operations, labelling them as "blatant racism".

Tensions reached a boiling point last month as drivers from various e-hailing services expressed outrage over the apparent exemption of a specific Afrikaans-only e-hailing service, operating in Centurion and Pretoria, from the metro police's crackdown on non-compliant operators.

Following the confiscation of two of its vehicles by the metro police, Wanatu took the matter to the High Court in Pretoria, seeking a court interdict to prevent further impoundment of its vehicles.

When questioned about accessibility for non-Afrikaans-speaking commuters, Wanatu clarified that their drivers are proficient in multiple languages.

Van der Walt said: “All of our drivers speak both Afrikaans and English, and many drivers can speak more than two of the 12 official South African languages. If a passenger prefers speaking English and does not understand or speak Afrikaans, the driver can communicate in English and our app also has an English translation.”

She also confirmed that the Afrikaans e-hailing service has submitted the court application and that the City has applied for leave to appeal an urgent court interdict last month.

This comes after last month’s urgent court interdict obtained by Wanatu, prohibiting the Tshwane metro police from confiscating vehicles operated without valid permits.

In the wake of the interdict, Wanatu was expected to file a full court application after the interdict to compel the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport to finally process the long-outstanding permit applications.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has not contacted Wanatu regarding the issuance of valid permits, according to Wanatu.

“The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has not reached out to Wanatu and to our knowledge, there is no update concerning the issuing of permits. We have been informed that there is an invitation being circulated to other operators in the e-hailing industry to discuss the permit issue, but this invitation has not been extended to Wanatu and (according to) my knowledge the invitation was also not extended to the associations who joined our court application,” Van der Walt.

Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the city's legal team has applied for leave to appeal, following an opinion from external legal counsel.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za