Viral video showing a foiled plane hijacking filmed in Barbados, not South Africa

Current crime statistics show that car theft remains a major problem in South Africa. A video is circulating on social media claiming to show a taxi driver being kidnapped at gunpoint in the country. However, the incident occurred in Barbados in 2023.

“South African taxi driver takes car thieves on ride of a lifetime, car thieves started pleading for their lives,” reads an X post published on September 29, 2024 with a video.

The clip shows a man driving a minibus taxi when two men on board point a gun at his head. He avoids the attack by driving too fast and using evasive maneuvers, knocking the would-be attackers out of their seats and causing them to spin around behind him.

Screenshot of the false X post taken on September 30, 2024” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Nr8su3iQe9Kp2EZVKa4nvw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTY0OQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp_factcheck_uk_202/c1e592c0f6cb1 ab9064cd11e825484f3″ class=”caas -img”/>

The post was published by an X account called @Africa_Archives to its nearly one million followers. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked the account's contents (see here, here and here).

A reply to the post, which has received thousands of likes and hundreds of reposts, said: “This driver deserves medals and needs to work for @SAPoliceService in the high speed pursuit department.” (sic).”

However, other comments disputed the location and said it took place in the Caribbean country of Barbados.

The same claim and video were also shared on a Kenyan forum and on X in 2023.

However, the claim is false.

Bravery in Barbados

A reverse image search of the video's key frames confirmed that it was shot in Barbados.

According to local media in the country (here and here), a public transport driver, Marlon Tempro, used his driving skills to foil a robbery attempt on July 16, 2024 (archived here and here).

The action was captured on the security dashcam in the vehicle.

Screenshot of the video in an article published in Jamaican outlet Our Today in July 2023” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iuRjtvKEc0JbTcriMM1PnQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU5Nw–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp_factcheck_uk_202/cea7b6c045138bcc 14cc1465d4510718″ class=”caas -img”/>

The footage went viral and Barbadians praised Tempro for his courage and quick thinking after the couple's intentions became clear.

“My whole idea was to get out of the situation safely and with as little damage as possible and to get out unharmed and try to at least get back home to my family,” Tempro told reporters in an interview a few days later (archived here).

Barbados Police issued a wanted bulletin for one of the suspects, who was 18 years old. He later turned himself in to police on July 20, 2023 and was charged with a four-day robbery spree (archived here, here and here). Here).

The second suspect, a 16-year-old, was also arrested and charged with theft of Tempro and use of a firearm (archived here).

Crime in South Africa

South Africa's Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said crime is generally on the rise when he released the country's quarterly crime statistics on August 30, 2024 (archived here).

“Crimes that should concern us most are: murder, rape, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom and extortion,” Mchunu said.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. According to official data (archived here), almost 84 murders per day were recorded between October and December 2023.