Woman Escapes Attempted Rape And Kidnapping In Uber, Driver Allegedly Complicit

A woman successfully evades an attempted rape and kidnapping by four men while riding in an Uber, claiming that the driver failed to intervene. Women For Change, an advocacy group for women, has utilised social media to bring attention to a distressing incident of violence and attempted rape involving a female passenger in a Cape Town CBD Uber.

Incident Details

At approximately 9:35 PM on Thursday, November 14th, Chera-lee le Roux, a 27-year-old individual, was collected from her residence by an Uber driver who, she now suspects, provided false identification details.

The purpose of the trip was to travel to Greenpoint. Le Roux stated that the Uber driver took an alternate route, resulting in the vehicle coming to a stop at the traffic lights positioned between the Castle of Good Hope and the taxi ranks/station in the Cape Town CBD. Rather than proceeding once the lights turned green, the driver chose not to move forward.

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The victim recounted the harrowing incident involving an Uber driver and four assailants. She stated that the Uber driver appeared to be complicit in the attack, as the perpetrators did not take his belongings.

“At that point, four men (I only really remember seeing three in the struggle) quickly entered the vehicle and began to brutally attacking me, kicking, scratching me, at knife-point, and also tried to rape me while ripping my dress up and down and exposing me. “It became very clear to me at that point that the Uber driver was part of the attack, and possibly even knew the perpetrators. They did not take his phone or any of his belongings,” she said.

Despite a violent struggle, the victim managed to escape, only to be accosted by another individual who robbed her of her necklace on the station stairs. Fearing for her safety, she returned to the Uber vehicle and implored the driver to take her to her destination.

“They then ran up the stairs into the station to the right. My phone (which they stole) was turned off shortly after. I then ran out the vehicle as I clicked that the driver was working with them, but as I did that, another man came to rob me of my necklace on the stairs.

“Thereafter, I ran back to the Uber as I realised I was not safe outside and pleaded for him to drop me at my location.”

Despite her pleas, the driver disregarded her, but eventually, after her pleading and shouting, he acquiesced and took her to her destination. However, her ordeal was far from over. Upon arrival, her partner requested the driver’s license, to which he claimed he didn’t possess, instead presenting his passport.

Police Investigate Uber Driver’s Role

They then informed him that he needed to accompany them to the police station to file a complaint. At the mention of this, he became aggressive, pounding on the glass doors of the building. Le Roux recounted that she and her partner proceeded to the police station, where she provided a detailed statement spanning three to four pages, recounting the incident.

The authorities assured her that they were in the process of retrieving the CCTV footage. Later that night, they confirmed that they had obtained the footage, revealing that all the doors had been open while the Uber driver remained inactive.

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The case is currently under investigation by the police. The driver’s details on Uber did not match his passport, and the car was registered to someone else. Le Roux accused Uber SA of disregarding the concerns of women in South Africa who have been victims of violence.

The recovery process may require extensive therapy and psychological healing. Uber needs to revise their policies, and employee selection process, and provide compensation to the victims. Women For Change highlighted the escalating crisis of violence against women using e-hailing services. The group emphasised the importance of prioritising women’s safety.

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