Cape Town man shot as attacks on e-hailing drivers continue

The family of a Cape Town e-hailing driver who was shot while attempting to flee hijackers in Rylands on Saturday night says they are praying for his recovery. George Bsikolo from Manenberg sustained gunshot wounds to his face, arm and chest. Bsikolo, who police believe is in his 30s, is currently in a stable condition in hospital.

His relative, Blessing Bleugum, says he tried to call Bsikolo on Sunday but his cellphone was switched off. He could not confirm Bsikolo’s age. “I was at a swimming gala when I received a call later in the day informing me that he had been shot during a hijacking.

I was in total shock and I rushed to the hospital to find him in a critical condition,” he says. According to Bleugum, the incident unfolded after Bsikolo responded to a ride request from a woman. “When he got to the street to fetch the woman, she was nowhere to be seen but there were two men standing in the road.

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He suspected that something was wrong and tried to drive off but before he could, the men got into the vehicle. One was seated in the front passenger seat and the other at the back,” explains Bleugum. He adds that Bsikolo was held at gunpoint and instructed to move to the back seat.

“The men started searching the vehicle and found his wallet with his bank card. They demanded his Pin which he gave to them. The men wanted to kill him but changed their minds because they wanted to know how much money he had in his account,” he says.

Bleugum adds that Bsikolo did not have any money in his account, but lied that he had R2 000 because he planned on escaping when they reached the ATM. “At some point one of the men shot him in the arm and pushed him from the back seat into the boot. When they got to the ATM, he tried to get out of the vehicle and was shot in the chest and between his mouth and nose,” he says.

Bleugum adds that two more men were following them in another car. “The men eventually fled the scene and George sought help from residents in the area.”

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