Drivers of metered taxis seen near the Sandton Gautrain station on July 6, 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Yesterday, Uber drivers and passengers around Johannesburg were intimidated and harassed by meter taxi drivers who are unhappy about sharing the same routes with the online taxi service. (Photo by Gallo Images / The Times / Moeletsi Mabe).
An Uber driver faces charges of murder after he stabbed to death a meter taxi driver who had hijacked him and demanded money in Pretoria at the weekend.
His attackers, believed to be meter taxi drivers, apparently assaulted him and pepper-sprayed him on Friday.
They also threatened the Uber driver for R4 000, a meter taxi driver who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday.
“These meter taxi drivers tried to hijack the Uber driver and took him to the ATM for him to draw money. But when he got there, he took out a knife and attacked them,” said the driver.
Police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe said that the stabbing came after the Uber driver was allegedly pepper-sprayed by the meter taxi drivers.
During the altercation, another Uber driver was also stabbed and was taken to hospital. The wounded meter taxi driver died at the scene.
“The Uber driver was arrested and charged with murder. His friend, another Uber driver, was taken to hospital and has been discharged. The meter taxi drivers were charged with car hijacking,” Selepe said.
The matter was provisionally withdrawn for further investigation when the Uber driver and a meter taxi driver appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Selepe said.
Last week, four meter taxi drivers were arrested for alleged kidnapping when they entered a Taxify driver’s car in Pretoria. The four men allegedly also forced the Taxify driver to give them money. But the four were arrested after the driver made a police report.
Vincent Mashalane, Justice Magagane, Pethole Mabulana and Frans Nijana are in custody on charges of robbery and kidnapping.
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