Taxi drivers and operators gunned down in a series of shootings
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in Mpumalanga has cried foul over taxi murders, and claims that the police are not providing exact statistics of these.
Fanyana Sibanyoni, a chairperson of Santaco, lashed out at the SAPS, claiming they were doing nothing to protect taxi drivers and the industry as a whole.
“We have been reporting cases of taxi murders, but they are doing nothing to curb it. More than 20 taxi drivers were killed in KwaMhlanga, but the police did nothing, instead they had gone to kill innocent taxi drivers at Secunda not long ago. We are tired of reporting these incidents. Now our hope is with God to protect us,” Sibanyoni said.
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The provincial police spokesperson, Brig Leonard Hlathi, said it was not true that the police were not doing anything.
“The taxi industry does not want to work with the police. Whenever we have meetings, we discuss issues of violence. The industry needs to work with the police in order to curb this and needs to stop taking the law into its own hands.”
Apparently, the provincial SAPS have since launched a manhunt for suspects after four men operating in the taxi industry had been murdered in four separate incidents. These took place around the Nkangala District, where two victims were killed on Monday March 15 and the other two earlier in the month.
The first incident occurred at 17:30, in which a 44-year-old man was sitting inside a Mercedes-Benz minibus at the KwaMhlanga crossroads. A group of armed suspects driving a white VW Golf 7 reportedly opened fire on the victim, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
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The suspects fled in Tshwane’s direction. The police and medical personnel were informed of the incident, and upon arrival, the victim, who has now been identified by his family as Jeremiah Nkosinathi Chabangu, was certified dead.
The victim is reported to have been a taxi driver.
The motive for the killing is unknown at this stage. Later, at about 20:40, a 65-year-old man became a victim of the second shooting at Boekenhouthoek near Kwaggafontein. Information in the police’s possession revealed two armed men wearing balaclavas had entered the house of a man who at the time had been watching TV with his wife.
The suspects, who drove a white Toyota Quantum, had reportedly gained entry through the kitchen door. They fired several shots. The victim was said to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds that proved fatal. His wife also sustained some gunshot injuries to her leg. The victim has since been identified by his family as Piet Mahlangu.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Kenny Sipho Mahlangu, a taxi driver, was shot and killed at Tweefontein on March 7.
Details revealed that Mahlangu had been driving in a white Isuzu bakkie when he was attacked. It is alleged he was followed by a Toyota Run-X and shots were fired from this vehicle, resulting in him being fatally wounded. Another shooting incident at Tweefontein occurred on March 1, when a 39-year-old man was gunned down at an old taxi rank.
According to the police, they had received a call about a shooting and upon arrival found a body lying in a pool of blood with bullet wounds. The victim was identified by his family as France Oupa Manamela, a queue marshal at the same taxi rank. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had been shot by four suspects driving a silver VW Polo.
They fled the scene immediately thereafter. Another victim driving a taxi patrol vehicle was also shot and injured in his leg at Moloto near KwaMhlanga on the same day Manamela had been murdered.
The public is urged to call Det Sgt Jacob Zulu on 076-658-5463 with information regarding the whereabouts of the suspects involved in the murder cases at Tweefontein. Contact Det Sgt David Kekana on 082-948- 8754 regarding the murder investigation at KwaMhlanga and attempted murder at Moloto, and Det WO Bheki Motambo may be contacted on 072-462-6923 with information for the case at Kwaggafontein.
Alternatively, members of the community may call the Crime Stop Number on 08600- 10111 or send information via the My SAPS app. Callers may remain anonymous and all information received will be treated with confidentiality.
