‘Be Safe out There’: E-hailing Driver Makes Daring Escape With Gun Pointed at His Head

• A vehicle tracker account shared dashcam footage of an e-hailing driver with a gun pointed to his head by two hijackers
• The driver managed to escape by accelerating away instantly, just one day after another attempted hijacking in Philippi was posted online
• The E-hailing Partners Council says attacks on drivers are a long-standing daily reality now being exposed by the rise of dashcam technology

SOUTH AFRICA - An e-hailing driver narrowly escaped a terrifying armed hijacking after a split-second decision to floor the accelerator saved his life. The incident was captured on dashcam footage and shared on 25 August 2026 by a vehicle tracker account on X, with a stark warning: "This is getting out of hand, be safe out there e-hailing drivers."

Driver narrowly escapes gun wielding hijacker

In the footage, two men pulled up on either side of the driver's vehicle simultaneously. One of the suspects pressed a firearm directly against the driver's head. In a moment that left viewers stunned, the driver reacted instantly and sped away before the hijackers could act further.

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The post came just a day after the same account shared a separate dashcam clip showing another attempted hijacking in Philippi, signalling just how frequently these incidents are occurring.

View video here:

Dashcams shining a light on a daily threat

Melithemba Mnguni, secretary general of the E-hailing Partners Council, spoke about the issue in an interview with 702 Drive. He cautioned against framing the incidents as a sudden spike in violence.

"The robberies, like we always say, are on a daily basis. I wouldn't really say they are increasing, because they've been constant for a long time," Mnguni said.

He explained that what has changed is visibility. More e-hailing drivers are fitting their vehicles with dashcams, which means incidents that previously went undocumented are now surfacing online regularly.

Cameras not the deterrent hoped for

The E-hailing Partners Council had hoped that widespread dashcam use would make criminals think twice before targeting drivers. That has not been the case. Mnguni said the footage coming out of these devices has instead revealed how bold attackers have become, operating in broad daylight and working in coordinated pairs.

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E-hailing drivers across South Africa remain exposed to serious risk every time they accept a ride, with little sign that the threat is letting up.

3 Briefly News article on e-hailing hijackings

• Dashcam footage of an e-hailing driver being hijacked, physically assaulted and robbed by two passengers has gone viral on social media, reigniting concerns about the safety of ride-hailing drivers operating at night in South Africa.
• An Uber driver in South Africa turned a terrifying hijacking attempt into a moment of calm defiance after dashcam footage showed him outsmarting two would-be robbers by simply refusing to stop.
• Another spine-chilling clip shows an alleged e-hailing driver getting beaten, robbed and pepper sprayed after stopping.The @sa_crime X page posted the video, which gained traction after the reported incident in Cape Town.

Source: Briefly News