Cape Town: Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) chairperson and president Bongani Raneki was killed in a car crash in the Eastern Cape early on Friday.
According to the association, he was travelling with three colleagues when their vehicle was involved in an accident on the R61 in Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape about 1am.
Raneki had taken over as Cata chairperson after the murder of former Cata president Victor Wiwi in April this year.
A Cata statement read: “We have woken up to the news that our chairman and Cata president has passed away in the early hours of today. Mr Raneki had played a pivotal role in bringing stability to Cata in the Western Cape and was engaged in efforts to bring peace to the industry. His contributions will be sorely missed as we continue to strive for peace and stability in the industry.
“In his memory, we urge all our members to work hard to ensure that we end the violence that has bedevilled the industry, so that we may achieve our goals of providing a safe, reliable and affordable minibus transport service.”
MEC for Transport and Public Works, Daylin Mitchell, worked with Raneki in trying to curb the taxi violence this year.
Mitchell said: “He was part of the urgent meeting I called with the taxi industry yesterday where we discussed concerns with regards to the ongoing criminal acts of extortion that are taking place in the province.
“Mr Raneki was a soft-spoken leader whose dedication to the minibus industry was always clear to see. I extend my sincere condolences to Mr Raneki’s family, to the members of Cata and the colleagues in the broader taxi industry.”
Weekend Argus