Uber driver recounts near-death experiences

BRIAN Moyo (not real name) remembers the night when a gang of four men hijacked him, tied him up,and drove around on the streets of Johannesburg in South Africa while still deciding whether to kill him.

He had bought a Volkswagen Polo and offered his services as an Uber driver given the popularity of ride-hailing services in South Africa.

His hope was to free himself from the clutches of poverty and manage to send something back home in Zimbabwe as well.

However, a VW Polo is a much sought-after vehicle by South African armed robbers, so Moyo found himself in the jaws of death.

"I decided to venture into ride-hailing business affectionately known in South Africa as the Ubers. However, the greatest mistake I made was to buy a Volkswagen Polo as it was a car on demand and a high security risk. I was later to learn that I had involuntarily presented myself before the jaws of death.

"Months after buying the car and venturing into ride-hailing I was hijacked by a gang of four men. I had witnessed hijackings and had been mugged before but that was an experience I had not even imagined. They tied me up, threw me into the car boot and drove with me all night while debating whether to kill me or not," narrated Moyo.

At some point, Moyo said, the armed robbers got involved in a physical fight over whether to kill him.  He was eventually dumped, unconscious, at a Johannesburg hospital.

"At some point, they took me to some scrapyard, which I assume was their car breaking area and they physically fought outside over whether to kill me or not. While doing so, they would frequently beat me up requesting me to show them the car tracker, which my car did not have," he said.

After that close encounter with death, Moyo decided to buy a more modest Toyota Etois. However, even that vehicle attracted the wrong sort of attention, this time from people he knew.

"I hoped that this car was not in demand in South Africa but well, as they say, experience is the best teacher. In South Africa, it's no longer about the type of car. As long as they are looking for a certain part in your car, they can just hijack it to get that part. I was hijacked six months after buying that car and up to now I still thank the Almighty that I am still alive.

"This is because I was hijacked by people that I knew and accordingly if that happens they have to kill you so that you do not identify and come after them. I do not know the reason why they did not kill me as I knew two of the five guys. As I said earlier on, they can hijack for anything, I later found my car dumped without the two rear doors," said Mr Moyo.

Such attacks became common for Moyo, whose fear of death lessened over the years. Eventually, however, there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

The surge in the use of ride-hailing, micro-mobility rental, food and grocery delivery and car-sharing services in the country being offered by various international and local companies like inDrive and Bolt created business and a source of livelihood for drivers.

"I got to a time when I saw that I was about to die and believe it or not, had I stayed two more months I was going to die. When I heard that the ride-hailing business was doing well back home, I decided to sell the car I had, took my belongings and my savings, came home and bought a Honda Fit, which I am happy with because here there is a very peaceful, safe and secure environment," he said.

It has been a long journey back home for Moyo who left the country soon after finishing high school. Determined to follow his dreams, Moyo informed his parents of the passion he had for music and sound engineering, something which his conservative parents did not regard as a profession but instead would advise him to pursue the traditional professions like teaching and nursing.

"I left Zimbabwe in 2001 after my parents refused to let me pursue sound engineering. I really like music, every aspect of it, from its production to its consumption. However, my parents would have none of that.

"I then decided to go to South Africa with the hope that the country would provide me with the best platform for my passion and perhaps talent to flourish. However, when I got there I began working in restaurants and various jobs that arose from time to time," said Moyo.