MOKOPANE – Widow of a taxi owner, and Public Relations Officer of the Mahwelereng Taxi Association, Joyce Malau, showed she is resilient in the fight against taxi violence and its perpetrators when she took part in a mock funeral during a court hearing recently.
Samuel Matjila, Desmond Machaba and Patrick Sekhu have been accused of murdering taxi officials and appeared in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court, where their trial was postponed until 24 April.
Malau and a number of other community members took to the street to protest against taxi violence on the day of the court hearing. The re re-elected secretary of Federated Local and Long Distance Taxi Association, Deputy Secretary of the National Taxi Council, Treasurer of the Federated Local and Long Distance Taxi Association, said this was done to show they are opposed to the accused being granted bail.
Malau described Matjila and his co-accused as, “cruel men who terrorised innocent community members. When we staged a mock funeral, parading a coffin, wearing black, we were not turning ourselves into drama queens seeking attention, we were merely registering a point to ensure that the enemies of societal peace do not come back to intimidate us like they did in the past. As community members and women in the taxi industry, we strongly believe that jail is the only place where these men should stay.”
Malau, a widow whose husband died mysteriously as taxi feuds raged on in the trouble-torn Mogalakwena, went on to say, “Matjila and his co-accused have left many people with bleeding hearts.”
The three accused will spend the festive season and the Easter Holidays in jail. Community activist, Percy Nketsi commented that: “Christmas and Good Friday are moments for holy celebrations and there is nothing holy about these men’s deeds. Theirs are evil deeds and jail is where they belong”.
