Are E-hailing drivers safe? Calls for action after violent attack leaves cabbie in critical condition

An E-hailing driver is in critical condition after being shot in the face during a hijacking in Rylands, Athlone. An E-hailing driver is fighting for his life after he was shot in the face and hijacked by four gunmen in Rylands, Athlone.​ Saturday night’s incident in Jeina Road is the latest in a string of attacks and has left drivers fearing for their safety. With the thugs fleeing the scene with the driver’s vehicle after the incident, chairperson of the Western Cape E-hailing Association (WCEA), Siyabonga Hlabisa, said that they are tired of being easy targets.

Following the murder of Nigerian national Isaac Satlat in Pretoria less than two weeks ago, Hlabisa said: “It is a serious challenge as we are being informed that drivers are being killed and attacked, and we are being let down by the SAPS, as not many arrests are being made.​ “Drivers are an easy target for criminals, and the phones that get stolen are being sold to communities. “The most important system to use is a dash camera, as we have seen the incident that happened in Pretoria was caught on a dash camera.​