Doreen Mokgolo
Sihle Yapi says he was kidnapped by an Uber driver who demanded a R5,000 ransom on Wednesday night because he was gay.
The 24-year-old from Johannesburg was on his way from Randburg travelling to the Bree Street Taxi Rank.
He told Scrolla.Africa that the driver started asking him about his sexuality during the journey.
“I was startled by this but decided to keep calm as I have heard stories of people getting attacked by Uber drivers.
“En route, the taxi stopped on the side of the road and four men jumped in speaking in a foreign language,” he said.
The driver allegedly told the men that Yapi was gay and they broke into laughter.
One of the suspects told Yapi that they didn’t like gay men. If it was in their power they would kill all of them, he said.
He said the men then began assaulting him and tied his hands and legs with shoelaces before driving him to an unknown location.
“They stopped at an informal settlement and forced me into a shack where they searched me and demanded access to my cellphone banking app.
“One of the suspects told me that they would only release me if I paid them a ransom of R5,000.”
Yapi told them that he didn’t have that kind of money and the suspects demanded that he call his family. They called his sister, Lungelwa Yapi.
Lungelwa told Scrolla.Africa that she received a call from the kidnappers demanding the ransom.
“I told them I only had R2,000 and they insisted that I make a plan or they would kill my brother.
“I had to borrow the money from friends and family and transferred the money to Sihle’s bank account,” she said.
Sihle Yapi said that one of the suspects went to withdraw the money and on his return, they gave him R50 to catch a taxi home.
Uber spokesperson Mpho Sebelebele said the incident was concerning and that they have a zero tolerance for violence on the platform.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said they are encouraging the victim to open a case at his nearest police station.
