Pretoria - The Tshwane taxi industry has tasked their “Peace Force” to assist new and vulnerable tertiary students likely to be targeted by criminals pretending to offer them assistance.
Spokesperson for the South African National Taxi Council in the city, McDonald Makata, said this time of the year was very dangerous for new students who will be coming to Pretoria from other parts of the country.
Criminals have shown over the years that they did not run out of creative and new ideas to rob and scam new and unsuspecting students of their belongings and money. The students will be looking for directions, accommodation, public services offices, and various sorts of assistance.
Makata said members of the taxi industry Peace Force will be wearing reflector jackets in Pretoria CBD, marked Peace Force, which must be approached by the students for assistance when they encounter problems trying to do business.
“We are calling on our new students and learners to be aware of the hooligans and thieves that will be pretending to be helping them while targeting their cellphones and money. Approach the Peace Force so that we can help you promptly,” said Makata.
The industry is taking this initiative because Pretoria is home to many private tertiary institutions, and thousands of new students are expected to move into the city as they enrol in the likes of
Unisa, the University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology and TVET colleges.
The police have warned students to be extra cautious at this time of the year, because criminals did not care who they were hurting.
Many students have gone to police stations crying because they paid money thinking they were securing accommodation, only to find the recipients were pretending to be working for certain property businesses.
Robbers also target students because they carry money and laptops, which they need to make payments and sort out their registration matters.
Pretoria News