Gauteng police have asked an e-hailing driver who was ambushed and robbed in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, to open a criminal case. Police said no case linked to the attack has been reported.
The appeal came after dashcam footage of the attack was shared on social media. The video appears to show a female passenger trying to grab the driver’s cellphone. A man in the back seat then pulls the handbrake.
“I have checked with the police station and can confirm that no case has been reported regarding the incident,” Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko told IOL.
“Police urge the victim to open a case at any police station to enable the police to investigate the incident,” Sibeko said.
Police did not say whether any suspects have been arrested. The full circumstances of the attack are still unclear, according to IOL.
The footage starts with a woman getting into the car. She appears to have booked an e-hailing ride. She greets the driver, who is holding his cellphone while it charges inside the car.
Soon after she gets in, the woman appears to look towards the side of the car. A man then climbs in through the rear door.
At the same time, the driver seems to be looking at two other men standing outside his window. The woman moves closer to the passenger door, as if she is getting ready to leave.
The man in the back seat opens the door so that the two men outside can get in. One of them reaches forward from the back and pulls the handbrake.
When the driver sees what is happening, the woman tries to grab his cellphone. She then quickly gets out of the car.
The driver jumps out and runs away, apparently in fear for his safety. One of the three men can be heard shouting “Shoot him, shoot him!” Another man appears to hold a firearm and moves towards the driver as he flees.
The video then shows two of the men going back to the car. They search through the driver’s belongings. One of them appears to go through a wallet before checking around the driver’s seat.
It is not clear what valuables were taken. The car is left with both front doors open, and a dog can be heard barking nearby.
A short time later, one of the men comes back to the car and appears to take more of the driver’s things. Another man later walks up to the car and closes its doors after the suspects have gone.
The woman in the video has been identified by social media users. Some users online have called for the people involved to be arrested.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.