KZN E-Hailing Council considers legal action against Simthande Myeza following Bolt's exoneration
The KwaZulu-Natal E-Hailing Council has confirmed it will open a case against digital creator Simthande Myeza for allegedly making false and malicious claims against Bolt.
This comes after an official statement from the ride-hailing platform cleared its involvement in an alleged kidnapping incident.
This move comes after Bolt concluded an internal investigation into Myeza’s claims made on social media that he was kidnapped, robbed, and held hostage by one of its drivers on June 17.
In a media statement issued earlier this week, Bolt said the investigation found no evidence that the incident occurred during a trip booked through their platform.
“Based on the available data, we can confirm that the incident described did not occur during a Bolt trip,” said Lerato Motsoeneng, Bolt’s Senior General Manager for South Africa. “We also have strong reasons to believe that the drivers who took trips from locations relevant to the incident had nothing to do with it.”
According to Bolt’s verified trip data, Myeza did request a Bolt ride at 15:03 on June 17, but the company states the ride was completed without incident, with the drop-off point recorded within 114 metres of the requested destination, which they claim is well within normal GPS accuracy.
A second trip mentioned in social media posts was also traced to a different driver and ordered from another account. Bolt asserted that, based on its matching algorithm, neither driver could have known the identity of the rider beforehand.
“There is no record of any Bolt trip associated with Mr. Myeza at or around 20:00 that evening, the time he claims the incident occurred,” Motsoeneng said.
The company has submitted its findings to law enforcement and indicated it may pursue legal action over any defamatory claims made against the platform.
The allegations surfaced last week when Myeza posted on social media claiming he had been abducted during an e-hailing trip in Durban.
He alleged that the driver veered off-route and picked up two additional men, who then drove him to a house where he was forced to withdraw money and contact loved ones for further funds.
Police confirmed they were investigating the matter and said, based on initial reports, Myeza had indeed been taken to an undisclosed location where money was extorted from him.
Police investigations remain ongoing.
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