Well-known Vhembe taxi driver shot dead
Last Thursday's murder sent shockwaves through the taxi industry and the local community, with many calling on the government to tighten the screws and apprehend the killers.
LIMPOPO – A well-known taxi owner of Magau, Jeffrey Matshivha (50) was shot dead at Madombidzha next to a tavern on March 28 in an incident which is taxi route related.
This is the second taxi-related killing in Vhembe in the past month.
On March 22, another taxi owner, the 33-year-old Muvhuso Justice Mbaimbai was killed at his home in Hamutsha.
Last Thursday’s murder sent shockwaves through the taxi industry and the local community, with many calling on the government to tighten the screws and apprehend the killers. Taxi violence and related killings are no longer confined to the big towns and cities but are spreading to the remote rural areas in the Vhembe district.
Vhembe police spokesperson, Sgt Vuledzani Dathi said Matshivha was shot at around 20:00.
“He was shot from within close range, and we found several cartridges next to his body. He was standing outside a tavern at Madombidzha when an armed man approached him, randomly firing shots. After the murder, the killer got into a car and sped off.”
He said the suspect is not known, and the motive for the murder unclear, “but taxi violence cannot be ruled out”.
The chairperson of the Polokwane/Sibasa Taxi Association, Lutendo Machochi said he was still shocked that one of its members had been shot dead.
“His colleagues, who had been traumatised by the incident, were receiving counselling,” added Machochi. He expressed his condolences to the Matshivha family. “The role he played in fostering unity, discipline, hard work, and dedication within the family and community will always be cherished.”
Family spokesperson Vusi Mathabatha said the family members were still traumatised and did not understand the reason for such a murder. “He was our pillar, a visionary and a strategic thinker. We have received many messages of condolences locally and from abroad, and it shows us that my uncle was a people’s person and accommodating of everyone irrespective of colour, race, and religion.”
Matshivha was buried at Magau cemetery last Sunday.
