DURBAN - A taxi boss was killed and two tow truck operators were left seriously injured during an alleged assassination attempt yesterday in Everest Heights, in Verulam, north of Durban.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said according to residents who contacted the private security company, the incident took place just after 2:30pm on Olivine Road.
Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said their teams were dispatched to the scene and on arrival, they found a man lying on the road bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head.
He said a second male had been shot on his left arm while his employer was grazed on his hip.
Balram said according to witnesses, the deceased was a taxi owner who resided in Reservoir Hills, Durban.
He said it was believed that the man and his wife had gone to the area to meet with a tow truck operator to obtain a quote for panel beating work on one of his taxis.
He said the woman was not injured.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele confirmed the incident and said one of the victims alleged that he was standing on the road with the deceased when the suspect, who was walking down the road, suddenly drew a firearm and shot at the three of them.
Mbele said the deceased was shot in the head. She said another victim was shot on the left upper arm and the third victim sustained a laceration on the waist.
She said the suspect then ran up the road and jumped into a getaway vehicle which had no number plate.
“The deceased died instantly. The deceased is a taxi owner from Reservoir Hills and operated taxis in Pinetown and Tongaat. The motive for the shooting is suspected to be taxi related,” said Mbele.
She added that the deceased was later transported to the Phoenix mortuary.
THE MERCURY