Following an internal investigation, e-hailing company Bolt has confirmed that 22-year-old Isaac Satlat, who was murdered in Pretoria West last week, was not the registered owner of the driver account that was active at the time of the incident.
Satlat was attacked and killed on February 11 while inside his vehicle in what police believe was a hijacking. Investigators are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding the killing, including whether additional accomplices may have been involved.
Police confirmed that a fourth suspect wanted in connection with the murder handed himself over to authorities in Atteridgeville on Monday.
Three other suspects, Dikeledi Tears Phela, Gositsiane Machidi and Tinyiko McClaren Mushwana, aged between 25 and 30, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday. They face charges of premeditated murder, hijacking and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The trio abandoned their bail application during their first court appearance, with the case postponed to February 23 for further investigation.
In a detailed statement shared on Facebook, Bolt said it is cooperating fully with SAPS and is actively supporting the investigation in every way possible.
“We are grateful that the suspects for this horrible crime were apprehended and will be brought to justice,” the company said.
The company confirmed that Satlat, a Nigerian national, was not the registered owner of the driver profile that was active at the time of the incident. The account belonged to Wiseman Makobe, a registered driver with an active Bolt profile.
“Following our internal investigation, we can confirm that the victim has been identified as Isaac Satlat, a 22-year-old Nigerian national. Mr Satlat was not the registered owner of the Bolt driver profile that was active at the time of the incident. The profile belonged to Wiseman Makobe, a registered driver with an active account on the Bolt platform.
“On the day of the incident, Mr Makobe completed the required verification process, after which Mr Satlat operated using that profile.”
“This constitutes profile sharing,” Bolt said, adding that the account has since been “permanently hard-blocked and banned from operating on the platform.”
The e-hailing service stressed that profile sharing is strictly prohibited, saying it undermines passenger trust, compromises safety and violates driver agreements.
“Where violations are identified, accounts are immediately suspended or permanently banned.”
Bolt further clarified that compensation and support measures apply only to drivers operating lawfully under their own verified profiles.
“This includes compensation in the event of death, serious injury, disability and coverage of medical expenses. However, where impersonation or profile sharing occurs, the individual is operating unlawfully and outside the scope of the platform's protections. In such cases, compensation policies do not apply. To protect the integrity of the investigation and respect all parties involved, we are unable to share further details at this time,” the statement read.
Saturday Star