Page 43 - July 2025 Edition.cdr
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“The rider's name didn't trend on social media.

          But to his fellow riders, his absence is felt.”




     Behind the Numbers: A  Whose  Road  Is  It
     Hidden Crisis                           Anyway?                                A Culture of Urgency, a

     South  Africa  doesn't  track  delivery   In cities like Cape Town, the roads are  Question of Worth
     rider  injuries  or  fatalities  in  a   a  battleground—literally  and
     centralized  way.  But  industry        figuratively. Motorcyclists, especially   Perhaps the hardest truth behind the
     estimates  suggest  dozens  of  riders   delivery riders, face the dual threats of   tragedy is the culture that enables it: a
     are seriously injured each month in     poor infrastructure and hostile traffic   society  increasingly  obsessed  with
                                                                                    speed, where groceries delivered in 60
     urban centres. Social media is filled    culture.
     with  pictures  of  fallen  scooters,   “I don't think most motorists respect   minutes  are  seen  as  more  valuable
     memorial  posts  from  fellow  riders,   motorcyclists,” says Renate Jansen, a   than the lives delivering them.
     and dashcam clips of near-misses.                                              “What's  a  life  worth?”  asks  Khaya
                                             former  riding  instructor.  “They  see
     One Reddit user wrote:                  them as a nuisance. If you're in a car, a   Dlamini. “R100? R20 tip? That's what
     “I've seen three Sixty60 riders dead in   bike  squeezing  past  you  is  just   it comes down to.”
     Cape Town in the last month alone.      annoying.  But  for  that  rider,  it's   As long as consumer demand drives
     Something needs to change.”             survival.”                             the  pressure—and  platform  design
                                                                                    rewards  risky  riding—these  deaths
     Another added:                          The absence of protected bike lanes,
     “They  ride  recklessly,  but  they're   poor  visibility  at  intersections,  and   may continue.
     forced to. The app punishes you for     inconsistent  law  enforcement  only   A Silent Procession
     being late. It's speed over safety.”    add to the danger. And in a city where
                                             delivery  motorcycles  outnumber       The death on Voortrekker Road didn't
     There's growing concern that as more
     consumers turn to app-based services    private  bikes,  there's  little  incentive   make national news. There were no
     for  convenience,  the  cost  is  being   for systemic change.                 vigils,  no  protests,  no  candlelit
     borne—sometimes  fatally—by                                                    memorials.  The  rider's  name  didn't
                                             W h a t   N e e d s   t o              trend  on  social  media.  But  to  his
     underpaid, overworked riders.                                                  fellow riders, his absence is felt.
                                             Change?
     The  SAPS  Factor:  A                                                          They  continue  down  Voortrekker
                                             The Voortrekker tragedy has reignited
     Tragedy  Within  a                      calls for:                             Road each day, navigating the same
                                                                                    intersections,  dodging  the  same
     Tragedy                                    ·   Better  regulation  of  gig     dangers, praying they make it home.
                                                    economy platforms.              One  more  helmet  in  the  wind.  One
     What  makes  the  Voortrekker  Road
     case particularly unsettling is that it    ·   Mandatory  safety  training     more echo of what could have been.
     involved  a  South  African  Police            and licensing enforcement.      In Memory
     Service  vehicle.  The  very  entity       ·   Wo r k e r   p r o t e c t i o n s ,   To  the  unnamed  Sixty60  rider  who
     responsible for public safety is now           including  insurance,  injury   d i e d   d o i n g   h i s   j o b :
     t h e   s u b j e c t   o f   a   c o l l i s i o n   cover,  and  minimum  wage   Your  final  ride  was  not  in  vain.
     investigation.                                 guarantees.                     May it be the one that wakes a city.
     While no foul play has been alleged, it    ·   Clear  accountability,          LHR
     has triggered public scrutiny.                 especially when state vehicles
     “This wasn't a chase or a crime scene,”        a r e   i n v o l v e d   i n   f a t a l
     says  Nico  van  Rensburg,  a  local           collisions.
     resident. “If it was a SAPS bakkie on a   Countries like Spain and the UK have
     routine patrol and they hit a biker…    begun  reclassifying  gig  workers  as
     that's very concerning.”                employees,  giving  them  access  to
     SAPS  has  not  yet  issued  a  detailed   benefits and legal protections. South
     public statement. Whether the bakkie    Africa,  however,  remains  in
     was speeding, distracted, or lawfully   legislative limbo.
     engaged in urgent duty remains to be    “The  labour  laws  haven't  caught  up
     seen. But it shines a harsh light on the   with the digital economy,” says Prof.
     vulnerability  of  bikers—even  when    Zanele Kumalo, a labour law expert at
     the other driver wears a badge.         UCT. “Until they do, the riders will
                                             carry all the risk—and pay the price.”
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