Another woman has spoken out about an ordeal with an e-hailing driver in Khayelitsha, during which she was assaulted and nearly kidnapped, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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On 21 July, Nomaxabiso Tshabalala (35) was planning to attend a staff lunch at her workplace. She requested a driver to Gatesville and when he arrived, he called her to say that he was waiting outside.
‘When I arrived at the car I indicated that I wanted to sit at the back because I was carrying a lot of stuff with me, and when I opened the door I realised the door was being pushed from the inside,’ she said.
‘Someone came out of that vehicle pointing a gun at me and told me if I screamed, he would shoot me while the other two were sitting inside.
‘I told him that I wouldn’t get inside the car and that’s when he started to slap me. After that, he took all my bags and my house keys and also demanded my password for my banking app, and they ran away.’
According to Daily Voice, Tshabalala opened a case at the Makhaza police station. However, it was closed two days later with no arrests made.
She said the investigating officer told her ‘a lot of bad things’ when she called to ask what was going on.
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said she should make an appointment with the station management to raise her concerns.
Lineo Thakhisi, spokesperson for inDrive Africa, said the driver had been permanently removed from their platform and that the company was fully cooperating with authorities. The company also offered counselling services to the victim.
‘It is very concerning to see that the e-hailing services environment has been infiltrated with criminals that pose danger to our drivers and passengers,’ Omar Parker, Western Cape E-hailing Association (WCEA) said.
‘Lately, we have noticed a syndicate of criminals using these services and imitating drivers in order to extort us well. We have been telling these companies to introduce more screening measures when it comes to drivers that want to come into the system.’
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