Cape Town - A senior metro police officer was gunned down and killed on Wednesday night after he stopped a minbus taxi on the N2.
Senior Superintendent Mpumelelo Xakekile, 50, of the Metro Police Tactical Response Unit was on duty shortly before sunset when he pulled over a taxi at about 7pm.
It is not known what traffic violation the taxi driver had committed, but the city’s Richard Bosman said Xakekile had stopped the vehicle near Khayelitsha to issue a fine.
Bosman said that two men came running from the bushes at Lansdowne Road and Mew Way Road and fired live rounds at him.
The Mandalay father of one died on the scene.
Bosman said: “It’s such a waste of life and such a terrible tragedy for us.
“He was an incredibly dedicated officer. He had studied part time and recently qualified with a National Police Diploma, and so was promoted from within the metro police. He was a dedicated career officer. This is a massive tragedy for us.”
Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle described the N2 as a battlefield. “All the officer was trying to do was to enforce the law, to keep taxi passengers safe on the roads. And for that he was murdered.”
There was a strong police presence on the scene on Wednesday night. Metro police and SAPS cordoned off the area and closed a section of Lansdowne Road.
An empty taxi was parked near the body.
Police spokesman FC van Wyk confirmed that no arrests have been made.
The murder came just an hour after Carlisle urged for the safekeeping of the province’s “economic lifelines”.
A senior team of detectives was dispatched to the scene.
Cape Argus