Five arrested for kidnapping, rape of Cape Town e-hailing driver - IOL

Police officer attached to Steenberg police station rescued the e-hailing driver.

Police in Cape Town arrested five people for the kidnapping and rape of an e-hailing driver on Saturday. 

The 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was kidnapped, raped, and held for ransom was rescued by Steenberg police. 

The provincial police spokesperson, Constable Ndakhe Gwala, confirmed the incident. 

“Police were informed by the victim’s brother, who was contacted by the suspects, demanding R4,000 cash to release him. They located the victim through his vehicle tracker and found him at Southampton Road in Heathfield,” Gwala said. 

According to police reports, the e-hailing driver met one of the women last week through his e-hailing business. 

Police said the driver and the woman exchanged phone numbers and had been texting throughout the week. The pair had made arrangements to meet up on Saturday. 

“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects, and the females raped him,” Gwala said. 

One of the suspects arrested is a minor. 

“Police arrested the two females aged 23 and 34, along with three male suspects aged 16, 42 and 48,” Gwala said. 

The group is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14. 

In a separate incident, police arrested a Zimbabwean truck driver for drug trafficking. 

Police acted on intelligence received about a Volvo truck transporting drugs from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

Police seized 41,000 mandrax tablets. 

“They spotted the truck and stopped it at a petrol station on the N1. A search was conducted, and police found two duffel bags containing mandrax tablets with an estimated street value of R2.05 million. A 44-year-old male was arrested for possession of drugs and dealing in drugs,” Gwala said.