In Motsoaledi, a township behind Bara, a motorbike theft syndicate has left many Uber Eats drivers fearing for their safety. Over the past few months, about 15 delivery bikes have been stolen, with only two recovered last Sunday. The recovery came after one of the bikes was fitted with a double tracker. The tracking company followed the signal to a nearby location, where they discovered two stripped bikes and three suspects dismantling them. The suspects fled the scene, and no arrests were made.
One of the affected drivers said it has become dangerous to deliver food in Motsoaledi, as the alleged mastermind behind the thefts is believed to be someone from within the delivery industry itself. “It’s painful,” he said, explaining that drivers buy motorbikes for between R25,000 and R30,000, only for them to be sold for as little as R3,000 on the black market. He added that drivers feel powerless and have lost confidence in the police, who reportedly failed to respond after being alerted to the recovery of the stolen bikes. Still, he hopes that this recent discovery will help restore some trust and make Motsoaledi a safer place to work.
With the help of community members, a few suspects linked to the syndicate have since been identified. However, after police failed to respond, residents decided to intervene themselves. Community member Maluleke said, “It’s hard for us to sit back and do nothing when such things are happening. These crimes don’t only make life unsafe for drivers, but for the entire community.” He added that residents hope stronger safety measures will soon be in place to protect everyone in Motsoaledi.
This article is an opinion piece submitted on 18 August 2025. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of Karibu! Online or Khanya College. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
