Minister Fritz calls for increased safety for Uber drivers

The Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, has called for increased safety measures for e-hailing services like Uber and Bolt (formerly Taxify) in Nyanga and has called on community members to report known criminals to make their communities safer.

Police this week issued a warning to drivers of e-hailing taxi services in Nyanga, saying that there were increasing numbers of hijackings targeted at these vehicles in the area, and advising that the area should be avoided.

The majority of these attacks reportedly take place at night. Delivery truck drivers and those driving their personal vehicles have also been urged to be cautious in hotspot areas which include Govan Mbeki Road in Philippi, Bristol and Sheffield Roads in Browns Farm, Klipfontein Road, Miller Road and Eisleben roads in Nyanga and Crossroads.

Minister Fritz said, “I have received reports of increased hijackings taking place in Nyanga. It is my concern that we are seeing a form of crime displacement known as ‘type of crime’ displacement following the recent SANDF and SAPS joint operations.”

“No part of this province should be off limits to anyone. I call on the SAPS Intelligence and Detective Services to urgently identify and arrest those involved in these hijackings and ensure that this crime trend is immediately stamped out. Both Intelligence and Detective Services need to work together to ensure convictions of known criminals. I reiterate the City of Cape Town’s call for SAPS to make active use of the state-of-the-art Transport Management Centre to improve intelligence gathering and sharing”, said Minister Fritz.

"​I  also encourage drivers to be cautious, and the companies operating these services to take measures to ensure the safety of drivers and their customers. We also call on community members who may have information that would contribute to making their community safer, to report it to the police."

Minister Fritz added, “We cannot allow the booming e-hailing industry to be put under siege by criminals. This industry empowers many individuals residing within the province as it provides countless job opportunities, improves the economy and makes the province more accessible for tourists. Increasingly, local residents are also relying on their services as an alternative to public transport, which can be unsafe or unreliable. An attack on the transport industry is therefore always an attack on the people of the Western Cape.”

Under the leadership of Minister Albert Fritz, the Department of Community Safety will continue to use all the tools at its disposal in terms of Section 206 of the Constitution to safeguard the Western Cape.

Attention broadcasters, please find English audio clip attached.