KZN e-hailing driver speaks of harassment, extortion by taxis
A KwaZulu-Natal e-hailing driver says safety fears are growing, with insecurity now the norm in the industry.
" For us drivers, they have become the norm. I can count incidents and exceed my fingers on my hands - counting people that we used to work with could have died in the hands of criminals. Some in the hands of taxi patrol officers, as they call them. It's never safe,” he told Newswatch, asking not to be named in order to protect his identity.
Last week, one of his fellow drivers was shot and his car was set alight with his body inside at a Soweto mall.
The victim, Mthokozisi Mvelase from Ulundi, had just started the job two days earlier after moving to Gauteng this month.
The attack is thought to have been linked to tensions in the taxi industry, with some minibus operators accused of intimidating e-hailing and lift club drivers.
Taxi bosses have denied having instructed any operators to block others from transporting passengers or pull them out of private vehicles.
He says not only do they face harassment and extortion from taxi industry members, they're also vulnerable to threats from criminals pretending to be passengers.
He says malls and busy pickup zones are often too dangerous, with drivers in some areas only allowed to drop off passengers.
He adds that drivers are sometimes forced to pay an operation fee by other taxi industry operators.
"They like to demand amounts of R3,000 to R5,000. They hold your car hostage and of course, if you're driving for someone, you have to phone the owner of the car and tell them what's happening now for them to release your car."
While he welcomes new app safety features like passenger ride history, he says more must still be done to protect drivers.
" It's a problem because the government can see these platforms are creating jobs for the youth because most of the people who do this en-haling business and drive for people are the youth."
On Tuesday, Santaco president Motlhabane Tsebe condemned Mvelase's killing and said the taxi council would not shield perpetrators.
He also pledged to support the 27-year-old's grieving family.
Find us on social media
Follow the ECR Newswatch WhatsApp channel here
MORE ON ECR:
