A routine e-hailing trip turned into a terrifying ordeal for a 40-year-old Parkgate woman and her two daughters, after they were held at gunpoint and robbed by their driver in Durban on Sunday.
The woman, along with her daughters aged 18 and 11, arrived visibly shaken at the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) Headquarters seeking help. She told officers that they had requested a ride to attend a function at Moses Mabhida Stadium. After the event, they planned to head to central Durban for clothing purchases intended for export to Zimbabwe.
However, as the woman prepared to pay the R300 fare upon arriving at the stadium, the driver spotted a bundle of cash in her bag. He allegedly drew a firearm and demanded she hand over all the money.
The suspect then forced the victims out of the vehicle and sped off with approximately R8,000 in cash. He was driving a white Toyota, but further details including the model and registration number remain unknown.
In a stroke of ingenuity, the 11-year-old daughter had discreetly hidden R100 in her bag, which the family used to hire another vehicle back to RUSA’s operations base.
Fortunately, no one was physically harmed during the incident. RUSA has obtained a photograph of the suspect, who is believed to reside in Waterloo, KZN. His identity will be released once a formal criminal case has been registered.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward as investigations continue.