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Bajaj Qute Owner Alleges Illegal Vehicle Impoundment by Gauteng Traffic
MyNextCar (MNC), the owner of Bajaj Qute vehicles, has accused the Gauteng traffic department of illegally impounding its cars. This issue arose when 29 Bajaj Qute vehicles were impounded in Johannesburg due to purportedly lacking valid operating licenses. MNC had claimed that its vehicles were impounded without justification and that armed security personnel hired to protect the cars and drivers were also arrested unlawfully as reported by News 24.
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Gauteng traffic department spokesperson Sello Maremane confirmed that passenger-carrying vehicles, including Bajaj Qutes, could be impounded if they lacked operating licenses, which are legally required for commercial transport vehicles. However, drivers and Bolt, a ride-hailing platform associated with Bajaj Qute, insisted that their vehicles possessed valid operating licenses. They argued that acquiring these licenses was the responsibility of MNC, the company from which they obtained the vehicles.
Bolt drivers revealed that they were left in the dark regarding the reasons for the impoundments. They also mentioned that traffic officers who impounded their vehicles did not wear name tags.
Takura Malaba, Bolt’s regional manager for East and Southern Africa, criticized the impoundments as being conducted ” incoherently” without proper explanations or documentation provided to affected drivers.
Gauteng traffic department spokesperson Maremane defended the actions of the traffic officers, suggesting that if drivers believed the impoundments were illegal, they could approach the court to address the issue. He needed to clarify whether the lack of operating licenses was related to the vehicles’ classification as compact quadricycles rather than cars. Maremane also stated that he was unaware of any arrests of security personnel.
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Photo: Facebook / @News24
