Bolt says its records do not support the version of events shared by Myeza’s family.
E-hailing service Bolt has dismissed claims that TikToker Simthande Myeza was abducted during one of its trips, citing findings from its internal investigation.
Myeza’s family recently released a statement, alleging he was abducted during his Bolt ride on Tuesday, 17 June, in the Umbilo area in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Family spokesperson Lomsongaka Myeza said Simthande became suspicious when the driver took an unexpected route, prompting him to ask the driver to make a U-turn.
“That’s when the driver became agitated and eventually stopped the car. Two other African males approached the vehicle, and one of them pointed a gun at Simthande. The other blindfolded him, tied his hands, and drove with him to an unknown location,” the family’s statement read.
READ MORE: Simthande Myeza ‘abducted and robbed’ during e-hailing trip: TikToker’s family speaks
Bolt: ‘The incident described did not occur during a Bolt trip’
In a statement released on Wednesday, Bolt South Africa’s Senior General Manager, Lerato Motsoeneng, said their records do not support the version of events shared by Myeza.
“Following the 17 June incident reported on social media, we launched a thorough internal investigation. Based on the available data, we can confirm that the incident described did not occur during a Bolt trip,” Motsoeneng said.
According to the statement, Myeza requested a ride at 15:03 on 17 June. The trip was completed by a verified driver, with the drop-off location within 114 metres of the intended destination — a margin Bolt says falls within normal GPS accuracy.
“We can confirm that the rider and driver were alone in the vehicle. We subsequently checked the driver’s details and found out that he has been driving using the Bolt app since December 2024.
“Mr Myeza said in a media statement that the incident took place at around 20:00 the same evening. Our records do not show any Bolt trip activity associated with him during that time.”
Motsoeneng added that the alleged return trip mentioned on social media was also investigated.
“This second trip involved a different driver, ordered from a separate rider account. The driver was matched using our standard algorithm, which means he could not have known in advance who the passenger would be.”
Bolt said it has shared its findings with relevant authorities and will continue to assist law enforcement.
“Based on the outcome of the official investigation, we will decide whether to pursue legal action against any claims found to be defamatory towards Bolt.”
Efforts to reach Myeza for comment were unsuccessful. The Citizen has sent queries to the KwaZulu-Natal police for an update on the case and will update the story once a response is received.
