“What If He Wasn’t There?”: SA E-Hailing Driver Saves Woman From Stranger Posing As Ride
- A Pretoria woman shared how a stranger approached her while she waited for her e-hailing ride, claiming to be her driver
- Her real driver was already there and intervened, leading to a standoff that lasted around 40 minutes
- South Africans flooded the comments praising the driver for stepping in and protecting her
- Briefly News spoke to Kamogelo about the frightening encounter and the e-hailing driver who stepped in
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Source: TikTok
A young Pretoria woman had a frightening experience on 21 September 2026 when a man approached her aggressively near the Bosman Taxi Rank and tried to convince her to abandon her e-hailing ride and go with him instead.
Kamogelo Molaudzi shared the ordeal on TikTok and spoke to Briefly News to elaborate. Kamogelo explained that she had requested an e-hailing ride to church when her driver called to say he could not collect her from the taxi rank area itself. Taxi operators do not permit e-hailing vehicles past a certain point, so he directed her to meet him one street down.
As she walked towards the agreed spot, a man she did not initially notice rushed towards her and started asking whether she had requested an e-hailing ride. He then told her to cancel the ride and let him take her to her destination instead. Kamogelo said she was immediately confused and frightened, partly because she could not work out how the stranger knew she had booked a ride, and partly because of how forcefully he was pushing her to comply. She said:
"This guy is here trying to, you know, convince me to take the ride with him."
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She tried calling her actual driver to confirm his location, and that is when she realised he had been sitting in his car nearby the whole time, watching everything unfold.
E-hailing driver steps in
Once Kamogelo got into the vehicle, the real driver confronted the man. He called him out for attacking Kamo and also referenced the recent femicide cases happening in South Africa. The back-and-forth between them lasted close to 40 minutes as Kamo sat in her driver's car.
"So it was a thought of what if my (e-hailing) driver was not there, what was going to happen?"
She later explained that the spot where it happened is a well-known pick-up location for e-hailing passengers who book rides near the taxi rank boundary. According to what she found out afterwards, the man may have been a former e-hailing driver who was removed from the platform after receiving bad reviews or complaints, but continued using the guise of the company to transport unsuspecting passengers.
The danger in that, she pointed out, is that if someone had cancelled their legitimate ride and accepted the ride, there would be no record of who had taken them or where.
"Nobody would know where you've been taken to, because you wouldn't have any proof that this person is the one who's driving me to my destination."
Kamogelo said the moment was a stark reminder that women travelling alone are not always safe, writing:
"You could tell that our fathers are truly scared for us, their daughters. We are not safe."
View the TikTok video below:
Mzansi reacts to the scary e-hailing encounter
The video on the page struck a nerve with South Africans who flooded the comments with both concern and praise for the driver who chose to act. Many called for him to be celebrated and even rewarded.
South Africans in the comments section were deeply moved by the story:
@Mimie_The Simple said:
"A se cheri ke ngwana sose ke se nameditseng ka mo [This is not a girlfriend, this is a child in my car] 😭😭❤️❤️"
@Becoming Dr Khumal🇿🇦📚🎓 wrote:
"...Sorry you had to go through that nana. Please take care."
@joylefifi460 said:
"Your driver must be posted and celebrated"
@Ms Solo rider🇿🇦 added:
"Do you have the details of papa? I wanna buy him Streetwise 2. Many would have kept quiet and he chose to speak out and hold them accountable 😭❤️❤️"
@MsPee wrote:
"Big up to papa🤘"
@iam_koketso shared:
"Kamogelo? O nswarele akere nana [Kamogelo? He's asking for your forgiveness, right, child]? Oh he's such a father 🥺 We thank God for him ❤️"
More Briefly News stories on e-hailing drivers
- New tax plans for minibus taxis and e-hailing services could increase commuter fares if the sector is not formalised first.
- A South African man helped an e-hailing driver feel safer as fears grew following the deaths of several women in Kempton Park.
- A Durban e-hailing driver survived a brutal bush knife attack during a Phoenix drop-off and drove himself to get medical help.
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Source: Briefly News
