E-Hailing Drivers in Witbank eMalahleni Live in Fear: Unwittingly Used as Transport for Local Criminal Syndicates
Local e-hailing drivers in Witbank eMalahleni are sounding the alarm over a growing and dangerous trend that is increasingly turning their personal vehicles into unwitting cogs in local criminal operations.
According to community safety reports and local operators; drivers are finding themselves caught in the crosshairs of police investigations after unknowingly transporting drugs, stolen items, and suspects using falsified booking profiles.
False Profiles and Phantom Addresses
Drivers report that criminal syndicates and opportunistic offenders are exploiting ride-hailing apps by creating fake user profiles—frequently utilizing aliases or women’s names—to request transport from suburban locations to industrial and outlying zones.
Local driver Theo Mlambo detailed the alarming reality of how easily operators can be implicated without their knowledge. He recounted spending months being tracked by law enforcement in connection with a passenger suspected of drug trafficking, only realizing later that his vehicle had picked up the suspect through a deceptively booked trip.
“They request rides using false names and alternate details, and they often use addresses that do not belong to them,” said Mlambo. “We have little control over who books our vehicles or what cargo they carry, leaving us vulnerable to being linked to crimes we have no part in.”
Calls for Enhanced Platform Verification
With local crime prevention units, including recent Operation Basadi deployments, ramping up vehicle check-points and stop-and-search operations across Witbank eMalahleni, transport associations are urging e-hailing companies to tighten rider verification measures.
Drivers are being advised to exercise extreme caution with late-night trips, verify passenger identities where possible, and immediately report suspicious packages or drop-off points to local security networks before their livelihoods—and freedom—are compromised by criminal misuse.