School teacher recounts escaping harrowing Uber ride

WHAT started as a normal Uber ride request turned into a hell ride for a primary school teacher who was forced to jump out of a fast-moving vehicle, fearing for her life in an alleged attempted attack by the driver. 

Denusha Nicholas, a teacher at Vlottenburg Primary in Stellenbosch had booked an Uber ride to take her to Stellendale, Kuilsriver where she lives, around 3pm on August 28. 

“When I booked the Uber, it showed he was 12 minutes away from me and then he called me to say he is first going to fetch his child. Then he came back after a while to collect me outside the school.” 

Her suspicions were raised when the driver drove in the opposite direction of her destination, towards Eersteriver. 

“When I asked him why, he didn’t answer. We kept driving. Then I saw he moved his rearview mirror towards me. I then called my mother and told her this man is watching me and I do not feel comfortable. She requested me to share my live location and she prayed for me on the phone.

“I informed him I am going to change my trip to Zeenvenwagt Mall. He said he doesn’t understand English. Then he locked the doors. I asked him why are you locking the doors now. He said ‘you are going to see what’s going to happen'.” 

“He then turned around in his seat and looked at me. I asked him ‘what is your problem? Open these doors now’. I unlocked the doors and he locked it again. I told him to stop the car. He did not stop and just kept driving. I managed to unlock the door, open it and jump out. He still pulled my legs. The feeling I got at my back, knocking behind the seat, I’m not sure if it was another person. 

“As a woman you get a feeling when you are not safe and the way he looked at me... He kept putting the music softer and louder and the words ‘you going to see what is going to happen now’… and then locking the doors again, I told myself I am not going to be another statistic for my parents to find me deceased along the road. I prayed for calm and decided to jump for my life. I just jumped.”

Two men who were driving on the opposite side of the road witnessed the incident and came to her aid. 

“They took me to a lady at a neighbouring farm and helped me wait until my brother came to take me to hospital.”

After the family posted the driver's picture in local community groups to warn others, they discovered that he was from Vlottenberg. 

“The person who drove and the person in the photo (on the app) was not the same person. I found out it’s his brother. The one whose picture is on the app is registered with Uber but he allowed his brother to do the trips. He also has different names…the one on the app and one is known by the community. We don't often look at the face when we use e-hailers, we look at registration numbers. 

“My advice (is), if you feel something is not right, cancel it.”

Uber said they were aware of the incident and were working with police to support their investigation.

“We take this incident extremely seriously and will continue to do everything possible to support the investigation and uphold the safety of our community.

“We have been in direct contact with the rider to offer support and assistance during this time. Uber has a dedicated Public Safety Response Team and established partnerships with law enforcement to ensure authorities receive the information they need as quickly as possible. To that effect, this team is working closely with SAPS to support their investigation,” said an Uber spokesperson. 

They did not respond to questions on whether the driver was still on the app. 

Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg said Kuilsriver police were investigating an attempted kidnapping case and no one has been arrested. 

Anyone with any information about this incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS app.

Cape Times