The Western Cape E-hailing Association (WCEA) has denied claims that their members have been intimidating drivers who have not participated in their stay away this week.
The association last week announced that it would embark on a three-day stay-away, which started on Tuesday, to push e-hailing companies Bolt, Uber and inDriver to meet their demands.
Thee demands include the renegotiation of commission as well as safety features for drivers using the e-hailing apps to make a living.
WCEA Chairperson Siyabonga Hlabisa said the association had tried on numerous occasions to negotiate better working terms for its drivers, to no avail.
Hlabisa said the group did not want to stage the stay-away, but they were forced to and encouraged its members to switch off their devices to force the e-hailing apps into working with the association to resolve their challenges.
While all three known e-hailing platform service providers Uber, Bolt and inDrive confirmed they had held meetings with the association, they called on participating drivers to refrain from any acts of violence or intimidating drivers who wanted to continue working during the stay-away period.
However, on the first day of the stay-away, some drivers were allegedly ordered away from their usual posts and to not work despite wanting to.
A driver, who did not want to be named out of concern for his safety, says he was left shaken after a group of men approached him and demanded that he give them money for not participating in the stay-away.
The man says: “I was dropping a client in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch when a group of men stopped my vehicle and demanded R500 from me. They said I had to pay the money and if I refused they would take my phone and car.
“I still had a client with me so I agreed to give them the money, mind you I wasn’t even aware of the stay-away, but I was shaken by the incident and decided to comply for my safety and that of my client.
“One of the men accompanied me to an ATM to withdraw the money because I didn’t even have R500 on me to begin with.”
“Fortunately on our way back, we came across a Law Enforcement vehicle and they stopped us to ask what was happening. I told them I was being held against my will and they told me to go. There were now several cars these men had stopped, I’m not sure what happened to them but I was very disturbed and shaken.
“We all can’t afford to not work and most importantly I didn't know about this stay-away,” he said.
In response to the claims, the WCEA’s Hlabisa said that criminal elements were threatening the objective of the stay-away.
He said: “No member of ours would have done such a thing. I’m as disturbed to hear this as I was when I heard a few more accounts like this.
“However, I maintain that our members were not involved and encourage drivers who encountered these persons or were taken advantage of in any manner to report the incidents to the police.”
Hlabisa said despite the incidents, the association’s stay-away would continue until Thursday.
Meanwhile Uber said: “We're aware of a group of e-hailing drivers planning a stay away in the Western Cape from 14 to 16 November 2023.”