“Some of Us Have Children”: Passengers Terrified by Taxi Driver’s Reckless Driving, SA Reacts

• A young South African woman from Venda filmed a scary taxi moment being driven by a reckless driver
• The video trended on TikTok, which made many people concerned after hearing the commuters’ screams 
• Social media users were outraged and bashed the driver in the comments section of the now-viral post

A group of people who travelled from Venda to Johannesburg on Friday trended on TikTok.

They were driven by a reckless man who almost crashed into a truck while being chased on the road. 

Commuters scared for their lives in reckless taxi 

A young South African taxi driver from Venda, Tshilidzi, went viral on TikTok after one lady filmed a clip inside his car. The man drove a full taxi from Venda to Johannesburg.

Things were going well until he picked up an extra client who was targeted by a different driver. Tshilidzi was chased by a group of men on the road and began to speed up.

His reckless driving as he tried to escape his enemies frightened his commuters, who began screaming in fear. One lady begged for Tshilidzi to slow down and reminded him:

“Some of us have children.”

The driver did not stop and switched lanes swiftly as he tried to break away from the road chase. Tshilidzi soon found out that he was trending on TikTok.

The young lady who took the videos and posted them online, Shantel Muofhe, felt bad that the young man was being bashed online and explained:

“Guys, please don't talk badly about Tshilidzi, he was running for safety reasons and sorry to keep you all waiting.”

People still thought Tshilidzi was in the wrong and could have prevented the negative publicity if he had not picked up the extra client. The clips reached thousands of people who felt sorry for the commuters.

Taxis' contribution to road accidents in SA

Minibus taxis are a major contributor to road accidents in South Africa. Stats show that they are involved in about 70,000 crashes a year, which is double the number of accidents caused by other vehicles. This is partly because taxis often drive at high speeds, are overloaded, and sometimes don’t get the proper maintenance.

Another problem is taxis making unscheduled stops to pick up passengers, which can lead to collisions. According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, minibus taxis are also overrepresented in fatal crashes. Toyota Quantum taxis make up 5.4% of fatal accidents, even though they’re a small portion of the total vehicle population. This shows the need for stricter regulations and better road safety measures for taxis to help reduce accidents and make roads safer for everyone.

Watch the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to taxi driver’s reckless driving 

The video posted on 13 June caused social media users shared their thoughts in a thread of comments.

Have a look at some of the 1,3550 reactions below:

@nikita 55534 wrote:

“I personally don't find anything funny here, this is risking people's lives.”

@Belty said:

“Open a case for this guy. This is reckless driving.”

@Manyeleti-oceaner Ts wondered:

“Why are those men so chilled in front?”

@.said:

“This is very careless behaviour, shame.”

@user8032548508579 commented:

“People are making jokes, but this is actually what happens when these taxi drivers kill our loved ones. I don't think this is funny.”

@Happiness Phumzile🇿🇦🇿🇦said:

“Trust me, the screams make it worse.”

@@Duduzile_khoza2.2oh commented:

“Imagine, the people who have died in taxi accidents, they probably screamed like this before taking their last breaths.”

@Khotsia vhutali: 

“If I were in Tshilidzi's shoes, I wasn't going to stop seriously. My next stop was either going to be at the police station or a roadblock.”

3 More taxi-related stories by Briefly News

• South Africans were floored by a heated fight between two Zulu women in a packed morning taxi in Johannesburg.
• South Africans were floored by a chaotic scene after one driver lost an angry sangoma's chicken in a field.
• Mzansi was stunned by one chap who travelled with his pet owl in a taxi with the hopes of using its powers to generate money.

Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News, contributed to this article.

Source: Briefly News