East London - Police flying squad officers in Mdantsane in East London, with the assistance of community members of Nciba locality, Ngquthu village near Kei Bridge, Butterworth, have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the murder of a metered taxi driver on Friday, Eastern Cape police said.
It was alleged that a meter taxi owner received a call from an unknown man to pick him up at Vincent in East London just before 4am on Friday morning, Captain Jackson Manatha said.
The man apparently wanted to be driven from Vincent to Amalinda. The owner of the meter taxi phoned his driver to go and fetch the person. Later, when the driver was phoned by his girlfriend at about 6 am, he did not answer his phone, he said.
The girlfriend then phoned the taxi owner, telling him that her boyfriend had not come home and was not answering his phone. The matter was reported to police and the investigation led police towards Butterworth.
''The suspect was spotted along [the] N2 near Kei Bridge, Butterworth. When the suspect was stopped, it is alleged that he became vicious and fought with the police. Community members came to the rescue of the police and assisted in arresting the suspect [at about 8am] near Nciba locality, Ngquthu village along Kei Cuttings, Butterworth."
The 39-year-old taxi driver's body was found on the back seat of the car. He had been stabbed. The suspect had been charged with murder, kidnapping, and car hijacking. The motive for the murder was not known, and it was not yet clear where the taxi driver had been murdered. The 27-year-old suspect would appear in the Butterworth Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, Manatha said.