An e-hailer driver narrowly escaped with his life during a harrowing robbery in Athlone, Cape Town, on Christmas Eve.
UPDATE: Cape Town police have confirmed that the first suspect seen in the dashcam footage has been identified. The article was also updated to reflect the actual location of the robbery.
Watch: E-hailer robbed after accepting pickup request in Athlone
Dashcam footage of the incident, timestamped at approximately 17:12 SAST, has surfaced online, showing the terrifying encounter.
The footage begins as the driver, a Middle Eastern man, arrives at a pickup point in the suburb.
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Shortly after he parks, a male suspect enters the passenger seat and subdues the driver’s left hand, which is on the handbrake. Without hesitation, the suspect brandishes a hunting knife.
Moments later, a second suspect appears from the backseat, also armed with a knife.
The driver is quickly overwhelmed as two additional suspects emerge from the driver’s side door and rear passenger entrance.
They issue demands for valuables while repeatedly threatening the man, who pleads with them not to harm him.
The suspects take the driver’s cellphone and other belongings, including items stored in the vehicle’s trunk.
In a bizarre turn of events, one of the robbers shakes the driver’s hand before fleeing the scene with his accomplices.
The dashcam footage is clear enough to identify the individuals involved in the robbery. However, the suspects are believed to still be at large. Law enforcement has not yet provided an official statement on the incident or the status of the investigation.
Athlone is known to be one of Cape Town’s higher-risk areas for e-hailing services, particularly in the eastern periphery where ride requests often come from underserved regions.
While Uber has limited operations in the area due to safety concerns, alternative and often cheaper services like Bolt and InDriver frequently accept rides in these neighbourhoods.
Drivers who venture into such zones are sometimes met with unforeseen dangers, as was the case with this driver.
Thankfully, despite the traumatic ordeal, he managed to survive without sustaining physical harm.
