Cape Town Airport Tourists Allegedly Scammed out of up to R25,000 by Fake E-Hailing Drivers

Published 27 Oct 2026 at 8:52 AM

by Mbalenhle Butale

3 min read

Tourists arriving at Cape Town International Airport are allegedly being targeted by fake e-hailing drivers charging thousands of rands for short trips
A syndicate of alleged scammers reportedly wears reflective vests and carries fake IDs to appear as legitimate drivers near airport exits
One UK tourist allegedly paid the equivalent of R17,690 for a single trip and left South Africa without recovering her money

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CAPE TOWN - Tourists landing at Cape Town International Airport are allegedly walking straight into a transport scam that has cost some visitors as much as R25,000 in a single journey.

The warning comes from an Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) contractor who also moonlights as a driver for a recognised e-hailing service. Speaking to MyBroadband, the contractor said he regularly receives complaints from foreign visitors who were deceived into paying far more than a standard fare. Some, he said, have vowed never to return to South Africa.

Fake drivers preying on exhausted arrivals

According to the contractor, the alleged scam is run by a syndicate of former and current metered taxi operators whose businesses struggled after app-based transport services entered the South African market. The group reportedly dresses in reflective vests and carries fake identification to pass as authorised drivers.

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They position themselves near airport exits and target passengers who have just stepped off long-haul flights. In some cases, the alleged scammers lie about where the official e-hailing pickup zones are located and persuade travellers to cancel their app bookings before offering their own services instead.

The contractor alleged that drivers take advantage of passengers who are too tired to scrutinise the amounts entered into card machines, sometimes keying in inflated sums before asking travellers to tap their cards.

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UK tourist's R17,690 ordeal

One of the most striking cases involved a 70-year-old British tourist who allegedly paid £800, roughly R17,690, for a trip from the airport. When she realised what had happened and challenged the driver, he claimed his finger had slipped while typing in the amount and promised a manager would reverse the charge.

What ACSA is doing

ACSA has put up notices at the airport warning passengers not to accept unsolicited transport offers and to use designated pickup points and official apps for all bookings. However, the contractor claimed that some of those signs had been knocked to the ground and were no longer visible to arriving passengers.

Travellers are advised to confirm driver and vehicle details through their chosen app, check the fare displayed before making any payment, and walk away from anyone offering transport without being booked through an official service.

Tourists rank Cape Town as the most stressful city

Previously, Briefly News reported that Cape Town was ranked the world’s most stressful city for tourists, placing first in a global study that assessed safety risks, overcrowding, pollution, and transport pressure in major travel destinations.The study, released in mid February compared cities across several continents and found that visitors to the Mother City face high levels of anxiety linked to crime, traffic, and general safety concerns.