Cops battle feuding taximen

An armed police officer talks to members of the taxi industry next to the Willem Nicol Road in Bryanston. Police responded to reports of taxi drivers pulling other taxi drivers out of their vehicles. The control of certain routes used by different taxi associations has led to the violence in recent days. 260215. Picture: Chris Collingridge 493

An armed police officer talks to members of the taxi industry next to the Willem Nicol Road in Bryanston. Police responded to reports of taxi drivers pulling other taxi drivers out of their vehicles. The control of certain routes used by different taxi associations has led to the violence in recent days. 260215. Picture: Chris Collingridge 493

Published Feb 26, 2015

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Johannesburg - A war over routes between two taxi associations continued in Bryanston on Thursday morning after one driver was severely assaulted and another killed in Hyde Park on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Kay Makhubela said one group “redirected” the other off William Nicol Drive, but

no one was injured in the incident.

He was unable to confirm whether it was linked to Wednesday’s taxi violence.

Taxi drivers who stood metres away from police officers at the scene on Thursday morning refused to talk, saying they were waiting for their bosses to arrive.

A source at the scene who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation said the battle was between the Alexandra and Diepsloot taxi associations.

William Nicol Drive was the Alexandra association’s route, he said.

On Wednesday a taxi driver screamed as he ran up the northbound lane of William Nicol Drive in full view of the traffic. A mob of taxi drivers – armed with stones, sticks and knobkieries – chased him, chanting that he should die.

The hysterical man ran to a petrol station, banged on the locked glass doors and screamed at those inside to call the police.

“Why kill me when I’m already dead?” he shouted in Zulu at the mob.

But the mob caught him.

“They beat him so much that a knobkierie broke,” said a witness, who asked not to be named for fear of being victimised.

Then a taxi driver known only as Jabu pulled up. He was enraged, baying for the blood of the man the mob had beaten.

“Leave him, Jabu,” the other drivers said, “we’ve already taken care of him.”

But Jabu wanted “the dog” dead.

“Jabu pulled a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the man about four times, then went to fetch a big rock and smashed the man’s head. When I looked at him, his face had caved in,” the shaken witness said.

Satisfied with their work, the mob withdrew, but then another minibus appeared.

“There’s another one,” a shout from the group went up.

The crowd began chasing the vehicle and threw rocks, with Jabu leading the charge.

“Jabu stood in front of the taxi near the island and spread his arm, trying to block its path. That’s when it ran over him.”

The panicked driver drove over the island into oncoming traffic, dragging Jabu beneath his vehicle.

When the taxi drove over the island, back on to the northbound lane, Jabu’s body lay crumpled on the median rocks. He died at the scene.

The mob jumped into taxis and raced after the taxi that had run over him, while one of the onlookers called an ambulance for the man Jabu had allegedly beaten.

Makhubela said: “The taxi driver ran over a man and did not stop, so we’re investigating a case of culpable homicide.”

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The Star

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