Johannesburg - Uber on Monday said it was saddened to learn of the death of an elderly man following an altercation with one of its drivers at the OR Tambo Airport last week.
The 71-year-old man, identified as Zalman Orlianski, died on Sunday night after succumbing to his wounds, his family told EWN.
According to the report, he had allegedly gotten involved in an altercation last week with an Uber driver over a parking spot.
Police confirmed the man's death, adding that an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of death.
The driver initially faced an assault charge, which was later converted to attempted murder.
It is expected that the man will now be charged with murder.
Uber Sub-Saharan Africa in a statement sent its condolences to the victim's family following news of his passing.
"This is incredibly sad news, our hearts go out to the family and we will continue to stay in touch with them to offer our support.
"We trust that law enforcement and the judicial systems will do their best to ensure that justice prevails. We stand ready to help police with any additional information needed for their investigation," spokesperson Samantha Allenberg said.
Uber added that: "This violent and aggressive behaviour is completely unacceptable and upon learning of this, we immediately removed the driver access to the app."
Prior to driver's deactivation and arrest, he held a valid Professional Driver’s Permit and he cleared all background checks.
The driver also has no previous safety incidents on the Uber app and his rating was above average.
"All driver-partners have to undergo an AFIS secondary background screening by third-party profession who leads the industry," Allenberg said.