
South Africa’s first Afrikaans e-hailing platform, launched in October 2024, operates in Pretoria and Centurion.
By January 21, 2025, the platform had over 30,000 registrations. Out of 1,100 applicants, 85 drivers from various demographic groups were hired. The fleet includes 50 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrids, equipped with advanced safety features. However, the company’s policy of only hiring Afrikaans-speaking drivers has faced criticism.
While preserving and promoting languages is admirable, this brings up difficult legal issues regarding fairness, equality, and discrimination.
The company’s website states that the emphasis on Afrikaans is intended to “restore dignity in our communities’ jobs in Afrikaans.”

Although the service aims to compete with the likes of Uber and Bolt, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Judith Van der Walt mentions that it is also concentrating on school e-hailing and airport shuttle services.
The company says it aims to serve South Africans who mainly speak Afrikaans and may have difficulty with other languages.
In media reports, Van der Walt, said that the platform is accessible to all users and has a translation feature for English speaking users.
According to legal experts, the company has broken both Section 9(4) of the Constitution and section 6(1) of the employment Equity Act (EEA) which prohibits both direct and indirect discrimination based on language. Wanatu could potentially face legal challenges.