Safety tips for taxi commuters
Experts give safety tips to minibus taxi commuters after a 22-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and robbed on her way from Pretoria West to the CBD on Sunday.
Tshegofatso Ngobeni
A 22-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and robbed in a taxi on her way to the CBD to fetch her belongings from her previous residence on Sunday.
The woman is a third year electrical engineering student at TUT and cannot be identified to protect her dignity.
The young woman got into a minibus taxi to the CBD but was informed the taxi would go via Danville to drop off passengers.
After other passengers had gotten off, she was left with three men, one of whom moved to sit next to her and robbed her cellphone, a Blackberry Z3 and R300 in cash. The man also allegedly fondled her breasts.
The woman noted the taxi’s registration number but had not reported the crime when she was interviewed by Rekord.
Pretoria West community police public relations officer Thesigan Pillay said incidents similar to the woman’s ordeal had occurred in Pretoria West but not frequently.
He advised commuters to:
– “People should always have someone to go with them so they do not find themselves in a position where they are vulnerable to perpetrators,” Pillay said.
– Avoid travelling at night. “These crimes occur at night because perpetrators know they cannot be easily identified, and there are less people to witness their crime,” Pillay added.
– Avoid carrying expensive valuables when travelling by a taxi.
– Be alert so you can be able to identify the perpetrators and be able to assist police with formulating an identikit.
Forensic criminologist for the Sinoville crisis centre, Dr Pixie du Toit gave tips on what to do if victimised in a taxi.
– “Always memorise the taxi’s registration numberso you can report it to the police and the taxi association for investigation,” Du Toit explained.
– Report the case to the police even if you do not know who the perpetrator is.
“Sometimes people might feel like there is no use in reporting the crime because they do not know who the criminal is,” she said.
– Scream loudly so you can draw attention from people who might be willing to help you.
– Go for trauma counselling.
“A person who has been attacked sometimes ends up blaming themselves for what happened. They need to speak to an objective professional counsellor who will assure them that the blame lies with the attacker and not them,” Du Toit added.
Chicks Chauke, an administrator for the Atteridgeville Taxi Association said taxi commuters should always memorise the taxi’s registration number.
“The association will then trace the driver, call the victim, the driver and the owner of the taxi to discuss the matter. It will be up to the victim whether they choose to forgive the driver or open a case,” Chauke said.
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