DURBAN - THE South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has called on members of the taxi industry and community members to play their part in ending the scourge of taxi violence.
This comes after a 69-year-old taxi owner was shot dead on Gopalall Hurbans Road in the Tongaat CBD yesterday. The murder comes after another shooting on Saturday, when a 52-yearold taxi owner was shot and killed in front of his family in Cornubia, north of Durban.
Santaco spokesperson Sifiso Shangase said it was disappointing that members were continuously losing their lives. “It is sad to hear that members are taking each other’s lives at this rate. We are constantly hearing that someone has been killed and it is slowly becoming a norm, one which is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Shangase added that the perpetrators were known and that collaborative measures should be taken to apprehend those responsible.
“The people who order these hits and those who execute the missions know each other very well. The community members know them too … that is why they need to work together to root out the causative factors of these killings and to identify the perpetrators responsible so that justice can be served and lives spared,” he said.
Shangase emphasised that people with information should come forward and report what they know.
He said that peace among members in the industry was pivotal and that a sit-down discussion to iron out all issues was key to reaching a consensus.
In yesterday’s incident, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said its members were dispatched to the scene at about 1.40pm. Rusa said it was confirmed that the man was a taxi owner who had been in the area to visit a mechanic when the incident occurred.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said: “A case of murder has been opened for investigation by Tongaat SAPS. It is alleged that today (yesterday) on Gopalall Hurbans Road in Tongaat, a body of a 69-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds. The suspects are unknown and the motive for the killing is unknown.
“The scene is still active,” she said.
THE MERCURY