Eight gunned down in taxi-related violence

EIGHT people were killed in two separate incidents in what was believed to be taxi-related violence in KZN yesterday.

Three people were killed in Odidini, Mbumbulu, and the other five were killed in KwaDambasi, KwaNongoma.

Mluleki Mntungwa, Transport, Community Safety and Liaison spokesperson, said that in KwaNongoma a woman and five men were in a minibus taxi when they were attacked by gunmen.

One person survived the attack.

“Nongoma has a history of conflict in the taxi industry and there are also faction fights.

“The killings are being investigated and therefore we are currently not in a position to link these to the taxi violence.

“However, the department is running programmes in the area to try to calm the situation.

“The MEC and other crime-fighting structures meet today looking into how to ensure that such attacks do not escalate,” Mntungwa said.

A survivor is said to be in a serious condition in hospital.

Meanwhile, in the Mbumbulu attack, two taxi drivers and a community member were killed at the local taxi rank.

The community member is said to have been at a shop at the same rank where the shoot- ing happened.

The store owner, Thembinkosi Maphalala, said the victims were playing snooker at the rank when unknown men opened fire.

When reporters from Isolezwe, the Daily News’s sister paper, arrived in the area, there was a “stream of blood” flowing from the shop.

Maphalala said the victims used to wait around at his shop for their turn to load passengers.

Mandla Mzelemu, South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) spokesperson, said the council was tired of the “butchering” of people in the industry.

“This is unacceptable because there are people who are aware of these killings but they simply keep quiet.

Volatile

“We bring these animals into the industry,” Mzelemu said.

Gerald Ferror, president of the KZN Transport Alliance, said this was a volatile period in the industry as leadership elections were in progress.

“The elections started in April at local level and in September it will be the provincial elections.

“It is imperative that the MEC’s office comments on these incidents,” Ferror said.

It was sad that the history of the industry was not talked about and those involved did not seem serious about making the business work, he added.

“I’d like to appeal to all involved not to use guns and violence when we don’t agree on certain issues.

“The industry was formed in the 1970s in South Africa and it’s high time that we work towards recognising where we are coming from and make this business work without spilling blood,” Ferror said.

Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, provincial police spokesperson, said murder dockets were opened. – Additional reporting by Chris Ndaliso