An Uber ride that went horribly wrong has got Mzansi talking.
Radio and TV personality Anele Mdoda recently shared a frightening experience with an Uber driver, claiming he became aggressive after she selected the “don’t talk to me” option on the app.
Now, the driver is telling his side of the story, leaving netizens divided.
Mdoda took to social media to explain what happened during her trip while in Cape Town. She said the driver was upset that she didn’t want to chat and allegedly told her, “In my country, we would rape you to teach you a lesson.”
Feeling unsafe, she faked an Instagram Live video to deter him and make it home safely. “My Uber driver tonight was upset that I had picked the ‘don’t talk to me’ option. He then said, ‘In my country, we would rape you to teach you a lesson,’ and I had to fake being on Instagram Live to get home safe,” she wrote on X.
Her post immediately drew strong reactions, especially from women who use the e-hailing service regularly.
Many called for tougher safety measures, while others demanded Uber take swift action. Mdoda later confirmed that she would be pressing charges.
Thank you for all the comments on this uber saga including the ones that say I am the one in the wrong. I am going to press charges today. Twitter won’t make sure that man does not threaten another woman again. The law will. Have a great day further, because I will.
Following the backlash, the Uber driver reached out to Maphepha Ndaba to share his version of events. He denied making the alleged comment and explained that things escalated when he asked Mdoda if she was okay.
"What happened on that day was, she requested me from Souk Long Street to The Rockefeller Hotels which was seven minutes and some seconds drive away. I picked her up and started driving.
"Five minutes into the trip, I heard a bang on my window like a stone was thrown to it, and in shock, I asked what was that. She immediately apologised and said she mistakenly hit the window with her ring on her finger, so I said okay," he explained.
He went on to describe her behaviour in the back seat, saying, "A few seconds after, I noticed she was rolling down my window back and forth and trying to lay fully on the back seat. That prompted me to ask her if she was okay.
"Her response was ‘Yes, I’m fine’ and she said another word after, either, ‘I’m just tipsy or just sleepy,’ which I didn’t understand exactly at the time. So to get the exact thing she said, I asked her, ‘Do you mean you are sleepy or tipsy?’ That was all I said."
The driver claimed that this question set Mdoda off. "She flipped out, yelling, ‘Don’t talk to me! What did the Uber rules say?’ repeatedly. Mind you, this is me trying to know if she was okay because, at that point, I was starting to get worried."
He added that the tension escalated as they neared her destination. "At that time, we were less than two minutes away from her destination, approaching Cubana Foreshore.
"So I told her to please stop yelling at me, that I had the right to stop and ask her to get out of the car if she was going to continue yelling at me. I didn’t see what I did wrong to make her say all she had been saying to me."
According to the driver, that was when Mdoda started recording. "A few seconds to Rockefeller, she said, ‘Hello Instagram Live, I’m just making this video to make sure that I get to my hotel safe.’
"That was when I realised she was recording, but I didn’t care or say anything about it. When we arrived, she spent a few more seconds in the car after I’d ended the trip. Eventually, she got out and left my door open while still recording me."
Uber South Africa has since addressed the incident, stating that they are investigating the matter.