Cape Town - Yet another taxi driver has been shot dead – this time by men pretending to be passengers in Kuyasa, Khayelitsha on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the shooting occurred at around 12.20pm near Kuyasa Clinic in Ntlazana road.
He said the driver was travelling from SST section in Town 2 to Harare with two men and two women in the taxi.
“While approaching Kuyasa clinic, the two males asked him to stop. While stopping the taxi they both fired several shots at the driver and fatally wounded him. A murder case was registered for investigation,” Van Wyk said.
It is understood the driver was a member of Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta).
Codeta spokesperson Besuthu Ndungane refused to comment.
Ward councillor Bongile Ngcani said violent incidents and crime were on the increase in Khayelitsha. “It is difficult to say what the cause of these incidents is at this point. This taxi driver that was shot is a concern to our community. We condemn these incidents,” said Ngcani.
Meanwhile, Transport MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela condemned taxi violence during his visits to taxi ranks to encourage the industry to participate in the upcoming provincial lekgotla.
The lekgotla is scheduled for Worcester and Cape Town next Wednesday and Thursday.
“This week I prioritised the Cape Winelands District and visited Witzenberg and Drakenstein municipalities where I engaged taxi industry members during my visits to taxi ranks in Ceres and Paarl. Many people have lost their lives in taxi-related violence in Paarl and Ceres. It was necessary for me to meet the industry members to share resolutions that have been adopted during engagements with the industry leadership in my tireless efforts to end taxi violence and killings across the province,” Madikizela said.
The Cape Winelands District tour is part of an ongoing engagement to get people to understand government’s role in resolving taxi conflict. We can’t solve our problems by killing each other,” he added.
The route between Mbekweni, Paarl and Belville had been a major source of problems, Madikizela said.
“Many people lost their lives in the ongoing fight over this route. We have already started a process of finding solutions to these challenges. It is urgent to implement the resolutions adopted between the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works and the taxi industry in order to find a lasting solution to end the killings”
Anyone with information about the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 0860010111 or SMS Crime Stop on 0860010111.
Cape Times