Cape Town – Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) members have been urged to remain calm after their president, Victor Wiwi. was shot and killed along with another member.
A third man, who was also in the vehicle that was ambushed at about 9.45pm on Wednesday along the Borcherds Quarry off-ramp in Nyanga, was wounded.
Wiwi, 55, who has been Cata’s president since 2014, died in hospital.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said Nyanga police are investigating a double murder and an attempted murder case.
“According to reports, metro police came across the vehicle standing next to the road. They stopped and found a 48-year-old man inside a silver Toyota Fortuner, a 57-year-old man outside the vehicle injured, and another 57-year-old man was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died due to injury sustained,” said Van Wyk.
He said detectives were pursuing the suspects involved.
Cata’s provincial secretary, Mandla Hermanus, said the association was dismayed and saddened by the killing of its president.
“We condemn this brutal killing of our leader in the strongest possible terms. We urge the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to book. This loss will be felt by many in the transportation industry in the Western Cape,” he said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said he remained very concerned with the recent erosion of the taxi industry within the province, especially within the city.
Cele said he received reports about the “prominent leader” Wiwi, and in light of this and other incidents in the transport sector, they will be calling a meeting with the transport ministry, provincial transport department and other role-players to discuss means to curb taxi violence.
Transport MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said the incident happened about two hours after he received a phone call from Wiwi briefing him about a meeting he attended with the Laingsburg Municipality.
“I call on Cata leaders and its members to remain calm and to allow the police to do their work. We need to get to the bottom of taxi-related killings in our province. I will also visit the family of Wiwi and the other victims on Saturday to give my personal condolences. I urge SAPS to prioritise this case,” said Madikizela.
He said as part efforts to end the current spate of taxi violence in the province, an urgent meeting with the leadership of South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has been called.
“Wiwi was a respected and soft-spoken leader who demonstrated his dedication towards making peace and ending violence. I extend my sincere condolences to the families, to the members of Cata and to the colleagues in the broader taxi industry.”
Santaco provincial spokesperson Gershon Geyer who conveyed a message of condolences to the family and Cata, also urged its members to remain calm while police are probing.
“We condemn this killing of our leader in the strongest possible terms. We urge the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in order to bring the perpetrators to book.”
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.
Cape Times