Driver accuses taxi owner of assault

KABOKWENI – A taxi owner has been accused of assaulting a former driver. The victim suffered serious head injuries.
It is alleged that the taxi owner, whose name is known to this publication, lost his temper after the driver resigned.
The taxi owner supposedly hit him on the head with a hammer and left him on the ground.

The victim, Mr Bongani Mthimkhulu from Swaziland, said the incident occured after he decided to quit his job due to bad treatment and poor pay.

“I worked for him for almost a year, but I was not treated well. He paid me R350 per week. In total I got R1 400 per month while other drivers are paid R600 per week. I don’t understand why, because we were all doing the same job.
“Two weeks ago I resigned and got another job where I received a better offer,” said Mthimkhulu.

“Last Sunday at approximately 20:00 I was on my way home when I came across him and another man. He greeted me and I responded nicely since I don’t have beef with him. He then told me that I must come back and drive his taxi.

I told him that I had already resigned and I am happy where I am. Unexpectedly, the man who was with him, held my arms to my back and he started to hit me with a hammer on the head. I cried and begged for mercy, but he kept assaulting me until I fell down and they left me helpless in the street.

“Even though I was in pain and feeling dizzy, I tried to walk very slowly until I reached home where my family transported me to Themba Hospital for treatment,” he explained.

Mthimkhulu added that after being discharged from hospital, the taxi owner visited his home and offered him R500 not to open a criminal case.

“I refused his offer because what he did to me was totally unacceptable, I am a human being, too,” he said.
The owner’s behaviour caused a stir among taxi drivers in KaBokweni and a mass meeting was held last Thursday to call him to order.
He, however, did not show up.

This action aggravated the other taxi drivers, who claimed that he undermined them and took advantage of the fact that Mthimkhulu was not South African.
They added that they would support the victim until justice was done.

The drivers expressed their sadness concerning the owner’s behaviour and appealed to the KaBokweni Taxi Association to suspend his taxis for three months and insist that he compensate the victim with R10 000.
However, at the time of going to print a decision on the owner’s future was still not known.

Capt Shirley Ngomane, spokesperson for the local police, confirmed that a case of assault had been opened against the taxi owner.
When the accused was questioned, he refused to comment as the matter was sub judice and promised to answer questions at a later time.