Tag: Accountability

Uber and Bolt Face Mounting Safety Concerns in South Africa

Posted on by Jonathan

Ride-hailing services Uber and Bolt, once hailed as safer and more affordable alternatives to traditional taxis, are under mounting scrutiny in South Africa. Riders and drivers are increasingly reporting incidents of violence, hijackings, kidnappings, and assaults linked to the platforms have raised urgent questions about safety gaps, weak verification systems, and sluggish emergency response mechanisms.

The recent shooting, arson and execution-style murder of 27-year-old Siyanda Mthokozisi Mvelase in Soweto, is of the many cases that have drawn public attention and the reemergence of the on-going violence between e-hailing drivers and taxi owners in South Africa. In Johannesburg, drivers have been lured to remote locations by fake ride requests, only to be ambushed and hijacked. Riders, meanwhile, have reported kidnappings in which they were driven off-route and held until relatives or friends paid a ransom. Police confirm that such incidents, once sporadic, have become worryingly frequent. Whilst no verified stats on the number of e-hailing related hijacking, it is worth noting that between January and March 2025, SAPS recorded 4,533 car hijackings nationally, down from 5,338 in the same period in 2024. Gauteng saw 2,488 hijackings which is about 55% of all hijackings in the country.

Despite these threats, Uber and Bolt continue to market themselves as safe and convenient. Both companies have rolled out safety features, such as in-app emergency buttons, ride-sharing with trusted contacts, and driver identity verification. However,  drivers and riders beg to differ, arguing that these measures have done little to close dangerous loopholes. Verification of drivers remains inconsistent, background checks are often cursory, and when users trigger the in-app emergency function, response times from security teams or law enforcement can be slow.

Drivers say they are increasingly vulnerable. “Drivers are screened but passengers are never screened… That’s how drivers get hijacked and beaten and some even get killed.” – said a Gauteng based Bolt driver, who has been working in the industry for the past two years. Many drivers operate late at night to maximize earnings, which exposes them to higher risk areas. Others complain that fare structures do not account for danger zones, forcing them into hotspots without adequate compensation or protection. In Cape Town, several drivers have begun refusing trips into informal settlements or poorly lit areas, a move that has left many commuters stranded.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has acknowledged the surge in ride-hailing related crimes but insists that platforms must also take responsibility. “Law enforcement can only do so much. Companies have the data and technology to predict risks and alert us in real time. That isn’t happening.” Furthermore, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS national spokesperson, said: “We have noted with concern the rising number of violent incidents targeting e-hailing drivers and passengers. SAPS is intensifying operations in known hotspots and working closely with stakeholders to ensure that perpetrators are apprehended and communities can feel safe using these services.”

Globally, Uber and Bolt have faced similar controversies. In London, Uber temporarily lost its license in 2019 due to safety failings, while Bolt has faced regulatory scrutiny in several European cities over passenger protection but in South Africa, where crime levels are already among the highest in the world, the risks are magnified. Both companies insist they are investing in safety. Uber South Africa says it has expanded partnerships with private security firms to ensure faster emergency responses, while Bolt has introduced a “driver selfie verification” system aimed at reducing account takeovers by criminals. Yet riders and drivers argue that these measures are piecemeal, leaving them exposed to daily threats.

Civil society organizations are now calling for tighter regulation of the industry. The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), which has long clashed with ride-hailing platforms, argues that Uber and Bolt must be subjected to stricter licensing and safety compliance. Others have suggested creating a central registry of vetted drivers accessible to both police and users.

For now, however, fear persists on both sides of the ride-hailing equation. As one Durban-based driver put it: “We want to work, but every trip feels like a gamble with our lives.”

Until systemic gaps in safety are addressed, Uber and Bolt’s promise of safe, reliable transport in South Africa will remain under a dark cloud of mistrust.

South Africa’s Reckoning: Can Justice Still Save the Republic?

Posted on by Jonathan

When Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi first laid bare accusations of political interference, hidden criminal syndicates, and sabotage within the South African Police Service (SAPS) in July 2025, it sent shockwaves through the country particularly in communities already living in fear. For ordinary citizens in townships and informal settlements where criminality and “vanishing police dockets” are part of daily conversations, that moment was less about surprise and more about relief  because someone was finally naming the injustice that shaped their daily lives. 

Now, as the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has begun its public hearings on 17 September 2025 at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria, the emotions of ordinary citizens mirrored the nation’s tension. The delays, resource problems, and political pushbacks are not just bureaucratic obstacles, they carry real costs in people’s lives. Nicole Myburgh, Ward Committee Member in Eldorado Park, commented “As a resident of Eldorado Park, I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence and drug cartels in our community. For years, we’ve lived under the shadow of gang warfare, a reality shared by many communities across the country.”

The first public witness to take the stand was Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, his testimony immediately set the tone. Speaking under oath, Mkhwanazi painted a damning picture of political interference that, in his words, had “turned the South African Police Service into a playground for power brokers.” Mkhwanazi told the commission. “It is a capture of policing itself from the station level right up to the minister’s office. Political loyalties decide who gets promoted, which cases disappear, and who lives to tell the story.”

The second witness National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola corroborated parts of his account, testifying that ministerial directives had “encroached upon operational independence” and undermined accountability. According to internal documents tabled before the commission, 121 case dockets, many tied to politically connected suspects, were re-routed or “lost” after the task team’s dissolution. Witnesses described how officers who resisted interference were threatened, transferred, or quietly sidelined.

Opposition parties quickly seized on the revelations. DA leader John Steenhuisen told reporters outside the hearings, “These testimonies confirm what South Africans have long suspected that state institutions have been weaponised for factional gain. This commission must go beyond exposure; it must end impunity.” It is worth noting that even though the commission of inquiry has been well received by citizens, if it delivers not only revelations but prosecutions, not just words but systemic reform, perhaps the state will again be seen as a protector, not a predator.

South Africa’s democracy was built on accountability, the idea that no one, however powerful, stands above the law. However, as the Madlanga Commission peels back layers of a major political crisis, that principle feels increasingly fragile. The sudden death of former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa on 30 September 2025, barely two weeks after his name surfaced in testimony linking him to “protection networks” around illicit mining and logistics cartels, has further raised suspicion. Officially ruled as a suicide falling off a hotel in Paris, his passing nonetheless sparked an online storm of speculation and conspiracy theories leaving others in fear that the line between politics and organised crime may now be one of survival.

Parallel economies thrive in this environment. From the zama-zamas (unregulated small scale mining) of mainly Gauteng’s abandoned shafts to cross border tobacco and vehicle hi-jacking cartels, organized crime has become a shadow state which is exploiting gaps in governance and the rule of law while the most vulnerable in society suffer more into poverty. In a report, the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) estimated that illicit trade (tobacco, alcohol, counterfeiting, etc.) causes losses of about R100 billion annually, but that is not expressed as a percent of GDP.

In the end, the Madlanga Commission is not just about rooting out corruption, it is a mirror held up to a democracy testing its own endurance. South Africa’s political underworld did not emerge overnight but it grew in the blind spots of accountability, in the silence of those who looked away. Whether the commission’s findings lead to prosecutions or fade into another forgotten report will determine far more than political reputations, it will reveal whether this democracy still has the courage to save itself and whether citizens like Nicole will inherit a country worth living in.