The Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, have given e-hailing services 56 days to comply with national transport laws and permits.

Yango Group's Vice President and Head of Public Policy for Africa, Zanyiwe Asare, responded to the government's directive. She acknowledged systemic challenges and outlined how the platform supports drivers through the permit application process.

"The ministry itself has acknowledged that there are administrative backlogs and processing delays, which is understandable when an entire sector begins formalising at the same time," she said. "As a platform, Yango's role is to support our fleet partners through this transition. And we are actively encouraging partners to initiate their permit applications, assisting them with understanding the documentation requirements and monitoring progress within our ecosystem."

Asare emphasised that progress depends on close cooperation between regulators and operators to support drivers, protect livelihoods, and ensure steady compliance with national public transport laws.

"Ultimately, the success of the timeline will depend on continued collaboration between the regulators, the operators, and the digital platform, and all stakeholders generally," she said. "Our position is that if drivers demonstrate they've initiated the application process and are moving towards compliance, it shows clear commitment to the law while the permitting system processes the applications. Our goal is to ensure the sector becomes fully compliant in a structured, realistic manner, while protecting drivers' livelihoods and maintaining public mobility services."

Asare noted that the platform provides vital income for many Namibians and highlighted Yango's role in guiding drivers through requirements while trusting the ministry to provide processing access.

"We understand that Yango is a revenue-generating opportunity for many Namibians," she said. "And at the end of the day, the law is the law, and compliance is non-negotiable. So our part is ensuring that we hand-hold our drivers in understanding what they need to do, fast-track what we can on our side, and really trust the ministry and government to ensure that when Namibians come to process what they need, they get access to these mechanisms."