While there has been much news of late, concerning riders of delivery motorbikes being attacked by armed thugs while doing deliveries in the Laudium/Erasmia area, an Erasmia woman has a complaint against a motorbike rider not delivering on his promise.
This follows a Congolese national named Keda Jacques Kegiba who hired a Big Boy delivery motorbike, registration number HTZ 2227 X, from the owner Roxanne Naranasamy of Van Melle Street, Erasmia.
Roxanne who runs a motorbike rental business, had rented the bike to Keda. However, according to Roxanne, after taking the bike at around 11am, on Tuesday July 29, Keda has never returned it and failed to pay the weekly rental fees as per their agreement. Now, three weeks later, Keda has not been seen since and is believed to have stolen the motorbike, with Roxanne now offering a reward and asking the community for assistance to help trace the whereabouts of Keda.
The motorbike rental business owner, Roxanne, told the Laudium Sun, “I run a delivery motorbike rental business, where I rent out bikes to riders who pay me weekly as per our agreement. Recently, I purchased a new Big Boy delivery bike, registration number HTZ 2227 X, intending to rent it out. I advertised the motorbike on Facebook Marketplace to find interested drivers. Shortly after posting the ad, a rider named Keda Jacques Kegiba, originally from Congo, contacted me and expressed interest in renting the bike. He agreed to pay the rental fee every week. I requested that he bring all his paperwork, including his passport, visa and any other necessary documents. He came with all the required documents and provided me with a certified copy of his passport. Everything from his driver’s license to his passport appeared legitimate, so I trusted him and rented out the motorbike, under the terms of our agreement. He was supposed to pay me each week. However, after taking the bike, he gave me an excuse during the first week about not being able to pay and promised to pay the following week. I waited another two weeks, but he never made any payment and stopped responding. I tried calling him multiple times and he did not answer. I also sent several WhatsApp messages, but received no response. At that point, I became suspicious and realized that he had likely scammed me and stolen the motorbike. It’s a brand-new bike and since we run a rental business, it’s clear he took advantage of the situation. We are offering a R5000 reward to anyone who can provide information for the recovery of the stolen Big Boy motorbike with registration number HTZ 2227 X. Any proper details on the whereabouts of Keda will be very much appreciated. Anyone with information can contact me on 079 423 0753 or 063 023 0445.”
Roshiny Pillay, mother of Roxanne Naranasamy, also a resident of Van Melle Street, Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “This situation is extremely frustrating for us. We had only recently purchased the motorbike and my daughter runs a legitimate bike rental business. We never imagined that someone like Keda Jacques Kegiba would deceive us in this way. It’s deeply upsetting. How are women supposed to run businesses, when we have to deal with criminals like this? We always speak about women empowerment and uplifting women in society, but how can we truly empower women when the streets aren’t safe and people take advantage of our trust? We urgently need stringent laws that protect and support women in business. The leadership in our areas must take this seriously and do more to uplift women entrepreneurs and ensure our safety. Women deserve the chance to succeed in business without constantly fearing exploitation.”
stringent laws are urgently needed to protect and support women in business.
Fatima Ismail of Van Melle Street, Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “This is deeply disturbing. It’s disheartening to see incidents like this happening to women who are simply trying to run a business and succeed. Criminals are roaming our streets freely, scamming people, while our law enforcement remains silent. Now is the time for all the women of Laudium and Erasmia to come together and organise a strong movement, one that demands better security and real support from our local politicians and law enforcement agencies. We, as women, should be able to move freely in society without fear. We should be able to run our businesses confidently, without constantly worrying about being scammed or defrauded. Enough is enough. It’s time for action.”