{"id":94862,"date":"2025-02-04T18:16:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=94862"},"modified":"2025-02-04T18:16:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:16:36","slug":"grave-concern-over-increase-in-robberies-targeting-e-hailing-drivers-in-gauteng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/grave-concern-over-increase-in-robberies-targeting-e-hailing-drivers-in-gauteng\/","title":{"rendered":"Grave Concern Over Increase in Robberies Targeting E-Hailing Drivers in Gauteng"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em>
\n3-minute read
\n04 February 2025 | 17:50 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

E-hailing drivers in Gauteng face rising threats as criminals pose as passengers.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has raised serious concerns over a surge in violent crimes targeting e-hailing drivers. As these individuals work long hours to support their families, they find themselves increasingly vulnerable to attacks, often at the hands of criminals posing as passengers.<\/p>\n

The latest incident in Eldorado Park has heightened fears, with two young suspects pretending to be customers before robbing an e-hailing driver at gunpoint. The confrontation led to one suspect being shot and killed, while the other was hospitalized.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Radio Islam International<\/em><\/a>, DA\u2019s Michael Sun described the trend as deeply troubling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis modus operandi is becoming common, where criminals lure drivers by posing as passengers before robbing them at gunpoint. The drivers have no way to determine if a passenger is genuine or a potential attacker,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Eldorado Park incident is just one of many reported cases. According to Sun, there has been a worrying increase in such crimes, making it imperative for both law enforcement and e-hailing companies to take decisive action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are calling for intensified patrols by SAPS and JMPD, as well as focused operations to remove illegal firearms from our streets,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Sun emphasized that e-hailing companies must also play a role in enhancing safety. \u201cOperators need to engage with drivers and implement security measures, such as vehicle modifications to prevent easy access to drivers,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n

He acknowledged that e-hailing drivers are seen as easy targets due to the nature of their work. The anonymity of app-based ride services makes it difficult for drivers to distinguish between legitimate passengers and potential criminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some countries, protective shields have been installed in vehicles, preventing direct access between drivers and passengers. This simple measure could be cost-effective and life-saving,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Sun further called on community members to assist law enforcement by reporting suspicious activities. \u201cCriminals live within our communities. If you see something, say something. We cannot allow these perpetrators to continue operating freely,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n

Immediate interventions, such as increased law enforcement presence in hotspot areas like Eldorado Park, as well as stronger communication between e-hailing companies, community policing forums, and safety organizations, are necessary to curb the crisis.<\/p>\n

As attacks on e-hailing drivers continue to rise, urgent steps must be taken to ensure their safety and protect the livelihoods of many who depend on the industry for survival.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Annisa Essack and Micheal Sun here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 04 February 2025 | 17:50 CAT The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has raised serious concerns over a surge in violent crimes targeting e-hailing drivers. As these individuals work long hours to support their families, they find themselves increasingly vulnerable to attacks, often at the hands of criminals posing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":94863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-news","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/images.jpg?fit=225%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-oG2","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 04:46:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}