NATIONAL NEWS - The family of a Cape Town e-hailing driver who was shot while?attempting?to flee hijackers in Rylands on Saturday night says they are praying for his recovery.?
George Bsikolo?from?Manenberg?sustained gunshot wounds to his face,?arm?and chest. Bsikolo, who police believe is in his 30s, is currently in a stable condition in hospital.?
His relative, Blessing?Bleugum, says he tried to call?Bsikolo?on?Sunday?but his?cellphone?was switched off. He could not confirm?Bsikolo’s?age.?
“I was at a swimming gala when I received a call later in the day informing me that he had been shot during a hijacking. I was in total?shock?and I rushed to the hospital to find him in a critical condition,” he says.?
Attempted hijacking?
According to?Bleugum, the incident unfolded after?Bsikolo?responded to a ride request from a woman.?
“When he got to the street to fetch the woman, she was nowhere to be seen but there were two men standing in the road. He suspected that something was wrong and tried to drive off but before he could, the men got into the vehicle. One was seated in the front passenger seat and the other at the back,” explains Bleugum.
He adds that Bsikolo was held at gunpoint and instructed to move to the back seat.
“The men started searching the vehicle and found his wallet with his bank card. They demanded his Pin which he gave to them. The men wanted to kill him but changed their minds because they wanted to know how much money he had in his account,” he says.
Bleugum adds that Bsikolo did not have any money in his account, but lied that he had R2?000 because he planned on escaping when they reached the ATM.
Injuries
“At some point one of the men shot him in the arm and pushed him from the back seat into the boot. When they got to the ATM, he tried to get out of the vehicle and was shot in the chest and between his mouth and nose,” he says.
Bleugum adds that two more men were following them in another car.
“The men eventually fled the scene and George sought help from residents in the area.”
Bsikolo?has been an e-hailing driver for two years and is the sole breadwinner for his family.?
On social media, people are posting fake news that?Bsikolo?has passed away and?Bleugum?appeals to them to stop.?
“My heart does not feel right. As a family, we are not doing good. We are praying hard for his recovery. When I visited the hospital yesterday, I noticed an improvement in his condition,” he adds.?
E-hailing becoming more dangerous?
He says being an e-hailing driver is becoming more dangerous.?
“I am also an e-hailing?driver?and I was also hijacked and shot at in Gugulethu in August last year. Crime is really escalating. I am afraid for my life. We can only pray that George recovers.”?
The shooting comes amid growing concerns about violence targeting e-hailing drivers. Two weeks ago,?Isaac?Satlat?(22) was killed in Pretoria.??
Drivers increasingly targeted
Yusuf Dahir Moalim, the deputy general secretary for the Western Cape E-hailing Association, says the organisation is deeply disturbed by the Rylands shooting as it occurred so soon after the brutal killing of?Satlat.?
He says the killing highlights a growing and unacceptable pattern of violence against e-hailing drivers across the country.?
Moalim says e-hailing drivers are the backbone of daily commuting, transporting an estimated?30–35%?of the population safely to work,?school?and home in the province.
“They are being attacked,?robbed?and killed with alarming frequency. There is no protection, no compensation for the families they leave behind and no accountability from those who profit from their labour,” he says.?
Moalim believes e-hailing drivers are deliberately targeted.?
“Criminals know exactly what they carry: Cash collected from trips,?smartphones?and personal belongings. Drivers?operate?for long hours, often at night, and are required by platforms to respond to trip requests without knowing who they are picking up or where the risk may lie. This makes them exposed,?predictable?and vulnerable,” adds Moalim.?
Association blames?platforms and government?
The association believes that several e-hailing parties are failing drivers.?
“Drivers are sent out effectively blindfolded to pick up individuals who have not been properly vetted. At present, all a?criminal needs?to become a ‘rider’ is a smartphone, often stolen from another driver, a Sim card with data, and a few fake trips to build a five-star rating,” he says.?
Accountability
“Secondly,?[the] government is failing drivers by not enforcing stronger regulations on these platforms. There is little accountability placed on app companies to implement mandatory safety measures, despite the clear and ongoing danger faced by drivers daily,” he says.?
Moalim adds that drivers should be provided with in-vehicle safety tools, such as dash cameras, proper rider vetting and identity verification, and a real-time emergency link between drivers and law enforcement.?
“This situation is nothing short of a disgrace. If urgent action is not taken, these killings will continue, and the blood of drivers will remain on the hands of those who chose profit over people,”?says Moalim.?
Police investigation underway
Western Cape police spokesperson Constable?Ndakhe?Gwala says Athlone police are investigating a case of attempted murder and hijacking following the incident that occurred on?Jeina?Road.?
“A male victim in his 30s was shot by four unknown men who made off with his white Toyota Aygo. He is currently in hospital. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” adds Gwala.?
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.?
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