Peace plan in peril after ambush on Melta boss

Blayi survives hail of bullets

JUST three days after rival East London taxi associations signed a ceasefire to end a year-long bloodbath, Mdantsane East London and District Taxi Association (Melta) spokesman Welile Blayi survived an assassination attempt on Saturday afternoon.

Blayi, 54, a Melta executive committee member, was in NU6 returning from slain taxi driver Siphamandla Matolengwe’s funeral in Phumlani village outside East London when two gunmen fired eight shots, leaving his Toyota Hilux bakkie riddled with bullet holes.

Blayi said he had left his car parked at the home of a friend before driving in his friend’s car to the funeral.

“The shooters must’ve seen my car parked there at 9am and waited for me to come out. They nursed [watched] my car for six hours because I arrived back from the funeral at 3pm.

“There were two guys but only one came to my car just when I was reversing out the gate of my friend’s home. The first shot hit the windscreen below the wipers.”

Blayi said the gunman kept on pumping bullets into the car.

He managed to drive away but the car got stuck on a concrete embankment.

“I opened the door, rolled down and took cover, preparing to defend myself. He fled thinking that he had hit me.”

SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) president Noluntu Mahashe said the violation of the ceasefire had brought fresh fears of more violence in the industry.

“I don’t know what to say any more. Perhaps they want God himself to intervene. I was very happy to see them in the Dispatch united in announcing the truce.

“This is not good for us because we want the government to invest in our industry. I don’t think the government would want to subsidise people who kill each other.”

Blayi said the shooting came a week after he was accused by a rival taxi association of telling the public to refrain from using public transport.

“This is after I was quoted in the Saturday Dispatch warning that the ongoing violence will cause the public to avoid using public transport.”

Blayi said one of the drivers of his fleet was confronted that Saturday about the comment. “My driver said taxi operators at the Shoprite taxi rank accused me of telling the public to stop using public transport. They misinterpreted the quote in the article.”

Uncedo Taxi Services president Ntsikelelo Gayler said a meeting was to be held yesterday to discuss incident.

Gayler said the ceasefire still stood despite the violation.

“You can’t fight fire with fire. I have told Melta members to stand down. We will let the government do their job. The suspects must be arrested.”

Across media on Thursday, the East London taxi industry proudly announced a ceasefire to end ongoing violence.

Gayler, Border Alliance president Vuyani Mshiywa and Melta chairman Gabs Mtshala told the Dispatch that the territorial killings between Melta and Meta (Mdantsane East London Taxi Association) were over after they committed to a truce.

Mtshala said the weekend’s incident put the peace plan in jeopardy.

“This is not the first ceasefire to be violated. On Thursday, January 19, [Siphamandla] Matolengwe was killed the same day of the agreement.”

Border Taxi Alliance president Vuyani Mshiywa could not be reached on his cellphone yesterday. Border is the parent body of Meta.

Mdantsane police confirmed that a docket of attempted murder was being investigated.