E-hailing drivers have been warned to avoid Elsies River as ongoing shootings and attacks on drivers are increasing.
Areas such as Clarke's Estate and Connaught Estate around 35th Street and 39th Avenues are especially hot spots where e-hailing service are requested and upon arrival, drivers are attacked and robbed of their belongings.
Multiple videos have surfaced on social media of criminals requesting an e-haling service and waiting behind a wall next to a block of flats at Trinity Place and when the driver appears at the stop in 35th Street, a group of men start to attack.
Chairperson of the Western Cape E-hailing Association, Siyabonga Hlabisa said they have been getting a lot of reports of drivers being hijacked and some being killed.
“It is very hard for drivers as they have become an easy target for criminals. We have been trying to fight this with the App companies because criminals are after the cash. Unfortunately with most of the cases, these criminals request from other people's accounts so it is challenging.”
Hlabisa said that two months ago, he too fell victim to a robbery in Elsies River by six men.
“I was driving clients in my car and they robbed me. A woman requested a ride for these men. They grabbed me with a charger cable around my neck and kept me like that so I could not move. They took my phone, charger, wallet with all my cards and ran away.”
Public Relations Officer for the Elsies River Community Police Forum, Imraahn Mukaddam said that the ERCPF finds the ongoing attacks on e-hailing service providers abhorrent and disturbing.
“E-hailing is a 21st Century convenience brought about by smart phone technology. E-hailing and delivery services have transformed how we shop, how we eat and how we get around to visit the Day hospital or a sick relative or just to see our family. This convenience is being denied to many areas in Elsies River which have become e-hailing robbery hotspots. The elderly can't get to the doctor or hospital other than walking far to get into a crowded taxi which is an extreme injustice caused by these senseless boys who rob just to rob a phone which they sell for drugs and alcohol money,” Mukaddam said.
“The problem starts with the demand for stolen cellphones. So many informal cellphone repair shops buy these stolen phones which are then sold to consumers who are oblivious and in most cases conscious that they are buying stolen property, but as long as it's a kwaai (good) phone for cheap, everyone just keeps on buying, creating a vicious cycle of increasing demand and desperate criminals eager to steal to satiate this demand for stolen phones.
“We have to stop the buyers of these phones to break the crime cycle. In the past we had an effective community volunteer patrollers program called the walking bus. We also had NHW patrolling hot spots, but this all changed when the Mayor withdrew the funding for these programmes. We need funding to employ community volunteers to patrol these hotspots,” Mukaddam said.
“With regards to the smash and grabs, commuters and motorists must be more vigilant and less negligent when driving through these hot spots.”
One of the popular and regarded as a ‘cheaper' e-hailing service is Bolt. Simo Kalajdzic, the Senior Operations Manager said: “We regularly identify hotspots and share information about dangerous areas with drivers. All trips from known hotspot areas are flagged to the driver up front and the rider's history to help them decide whether to take the trip. Drivers can decline a trip if they're concerned about the safety of the pickup location with no negative impact on their profile.”
At the top of their hotspot list is Elsies Rivier, specifically Connaught, Hanover Park, Parow, Bellville, Retreat, Cloetesville, Kayamandi, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Philippi, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain, Browns Farm, Crossroads and Delft.
Kalajdzic said that they ensure driver safety through their partnership with the Automobile Association (AA) where drivers can access an emergency response service integrated into the app. Activating this service shares the driver's details and location with AA's 24/7 contact centre and immediately deploys private security and emergency services.
“Drivers can initiate an audio recording of their trip within the Bolt app, offering a solution in situations where they may feel unsafe during the trip. The recorded audio can be shared with Bolt's Customer Support team, facilitating swift and efficient handling of safety-related concerns,” Kalajdzic said.
“Drivers also have access to a trip monitoring feature, which works by proactively engaging with drivers in-app when a vehicle remains stationary for an extended period. No action is required to use this feature. Bolt will automatically activate a prompt to check if everything is okay. Drivers are only required to press the ‘Yes, I am okay button' should there be no concern.
“Crimes against ride-hailing drivers continue to be a national issue of great concern, and the safety of drivers who use the Bolt platform is of utmost importance to us. Bolt is continuously engaging with SAPS at regional and national levels to address this scourge of violence and work together to improve the safety of ride-hailing drivers in South Africa.”
Attempts to reach out to Uber was unsuccessful, they acknowledged receipt of enquiry but did not reply.
marsha.dean@inl.co.za