A Cape Town Uber driver has been arrested after a woman sustained injuries by allegedly jumping out of a moving car to escape an attempted kidnapping.
The 28-year-old woman is now demanding compensation from Uber to cover her damages.
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The woman said the incident happened on the evening of 26 May after her late shift at a restaurant in Blouberg.
Around 9:30pm, she requested an Uber to go home.
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‘I made sure that the details on my phone matched with the driver who came to pick me up. I gave him my Uber driver my four digit pin which was 4955. I had set it in my app so that the driver can use it to start the trip.’
‘He drove and passed my house and as I was about to tell him that he had passed my stop, he called out my name and pulled out a gun and told me not to move or he will shoot me.’
She explained that the driver demanded money, and when she said she had none, he allegedly took her phone and drove to a dark road along the beach.
‘I had my house keys with my knuckle dusters shaped like a cat, I don’t think he knew it was a weapon, we had driven quite far at this point. He told me to give him my house keys and put my hands out so he could cable tie them.’
‘My concern was this man knows where I live and my three-year-old daughter together with my 60-year-old mother-in-law are alone at my house. I thought about what would happen to them if he did something to me and then went back to my house,’ she said.
Smith refused to give the driver her house keys and made a daring move by jumping out of the car while it was still in motion.
‘I told him I won’t give him my house keys and I’m getting out the car. He told me I will get hurt if I did that and I told him I don’t care.’
A fight ensued, during which the driver hit her with a gun while she defended herself with her knuckle dusters.
‘I continued to him with my knuckle dusters and kicked him. After that, I opened my door and stuck my foot out to see how fast the car was going and then I quickly jumped out,’ she said.
She landed on the pavement, rolled into the bushes, and ran until she reached the road. There, she spent at least an hour trying to find a car to take her to the hospital.
‘I was bleeding and confused, there was blood coming from everywhere. I took my work shirt off and held it against my head just in case the bleeding was bad. Eventually a bus stopped and I asked the man to take me to hospital,’ she explained.
The driver was apprehended within two days, but Smith only recovered her engagement ring.
‘There’s been a mass of financial loss I endured due to this incident. I had to lose days at work because working at a restaurant is a no-work no-pay rule. I also had to take fewer hours because I now fear traveling at night. I also have bills to settle for my daughter’s medical condition and I’m behind payment because of this incident, it has drained me financially,’ she said.
Smith shared emails showing her communication with the insurance company AIG.
In a 21 June email, AIG stated they would only cover her medical bills as they were not responsible for other claims.
‘We can only deal with the policy Uber has in place with our company. Medical costs incurred etc…The conduct of the driver has been dealt with by Uber itself. We await correspondence from your attorney as indicated,’ read the email.
According to IOL, the investigating officer confirmed that the suspect, Vumile John Nooi, has been arrested.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said he would contact Table View police station for more details.
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