Fabricated report on S.Africa's Afrikaans ride-hailing service shared online

Published on August 13, 2025 at 12:28
6 min read
By Tendai DUBE, AFP South Africa

A screenshot purporting to show an article about alleged financial troubles at the Afrikaans-focused ride-hailing platform Wanatu has recently been circulating online. This is false; there are no credible reports of this claim anywhere online, the journalist credited in the screenshot denies writing any article about Wanatu, and the company also said this was “false news.”

“Racism and bigotry is not good for business,” reads the caption of an X post published on August 2, 2025.

The post, which has thousands of likes, features a screenshot of an alleged article headlined: “Wanatu vehicles to be auctioned as creditors seek to recoup over R13m in debt”. The byline is attributed to “Ngwako Malatji”.

Wanatu is a ride-hailing service which started in 2024, catering to residents in the Pretoria-Centurion area.

The transport company made headlines when it announced its business model of only employing Afrikaans speakers (archived here).

Screenshot of an X post, published on August 2, 2025

Similar posts were shared across multiple platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and blogs.

However, the screenshot is a fabrication; no such news report exists.

No reports

The source of the alleged article is not visible in the screenshot.

AFP Fact Check ran searches and found no credible news reports about the service having 13 million rand (about $734,000) in debt nor about its vehicles being auctioned.

The company responded to the circulating screenshot with a statement on August 3, 2025, saying they “are still fully operational” (archived here).

“We are aware that false news and misleading information are being circulated about WANATU. If there is anything important to share, WANATU will communicate directly with you through our official channels,” the statement read.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wanatu (Pty) Ltd (@wanatu.vervoer)

As a local journalist noted, the design of the fabricated screenshot appears to be based on that of an older design of online newspaper TimesLIVE (archived here).

1. Ngwako Malatji has been editor at Sunday World.
2. This is a TimesLIVE interface.
3. Ngwako has never worked for TimesLIVE.
4. Is there another Ngwako Malatji?
5. Let’s exercise some discernment.
6. Just post a link. https://t.co/iz2KLP5HwM
— Zimasa (@ZimasaMatiwane) August 3, 2025

Contacted by AFP Fact Check, the journalist cited in the fabricated screenshot, Ngwako Malatji, said he didn’t write the article.

“I have never reported on the e-hailer,” Malatji told AFP on August 7, 2025.

He added that he does not know any other journalist with the same name.

Malatji is the editor of South Africa’s Sunday World newspaper, which uses a red, white and black design that is different from the one in the screenshot shared online.

Comparison of the circulating screenshot (left) with a screenshot of one of Ngwako Malatji’s articles in Sunday World

A search of the website also shows that Sunday World has not reported on Wanatu.

Wanatu suspended operations in February 2025, after the city of Tshwane impounded two of its vehicles due to permit issues. However, this was challenged in court, and the Afrikaans platform won the case, resuming operations in the same month (archived here).

According to Wanatu’s website, while drivers are required to speak Afrikaans, the clients are not obliged to.

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