Cape Town – When Elsies River electrician Denzil November heard the screams of three young girls in a suspected e-hailing service vehicle, he leaped to their rescue, leading to the arrest of the driver.
Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday, November detailed how he pursued the speeding vehicle in Belhar, which eventually stopped after it hit a curb and a tyre burst.
“My friend and I were driving behind Erica Square in Belhar. We were there for a car club meeting. Then my friend heard girls screaming on a side road.
“I immediately reversed, but before I drove down to check, I stopped to ask myself, is this not a trick to get us there and rob us because I know of someone who experienced that.
“I drove down anyway. When I got closer, two girls were outside the car; my friend got out and stayed with them. Then this guy started driving and I chased after him in my car.
“There were also two other guys involved but one went into the bush and one into a side road,” said November.
“The girl was hanging out of the driver’s side; the top side of her body was inside the car and her bottom part was out of the window, naked.”
November said when they eventually stopped, the girl told him the men had stolen their phones.
“The community started hitting (the driver) until some security guards came and took him and the girls to the police station. The girls were very young and very scared,” he said.
“I have never done something like that in my whole life, but I feel proud because what would have happened to those girls if I did nothing?” he said.
Police said the suspect was arrested and made his first court appearance in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“A robbery case has been opened for investigation after a 19-year-old was robbed. A 28-year-old suspect was arrested and he appeared in court on Tuesday and is remanded in custody. His next court appearance is on Tuesday,” police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said.
Uber said their incident response team had looked into the incident and confirmed that it was not an active vehicle on their platform.
“Bolt can confirm that the vehicle in question is not registered on the Bolt platform,” Bolt said.
Uber on Wednesday announced the introduction of mandatory safety education for driver-partners in South Africa in honour of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Uber’s head of policy Middle East and Africa, Cezanne Maherali, said: “When it comes to fighting sexual violence, education is key.
“We want to make sure we are providing clear guidance on what is appropriate or not, and promote safety and respectful interactions.”
Bolt has also partnered with national safety platform Namola to introduce an SOS button, located within the Bolt app’s safety toolkit.
It enables passengers to connect to 24/7 private armed response teams, private emergency medical services and roadside assistance if they are involved in any medical or security emergency while on a Bolt ride.
Cape Times