Taximen’s war on drugs
Death of driver at hands of addicts sparks violence “We hunted the nyaope boys who showed us where they get their supplies”
The death of a taxi driver and an attack on a taxi owner were apparently behind the torching of five properties identified as brothels and drug dens in Rustenburg, North West, on Wednesday.
Violence flared at the weekend after taxi drivers and residents went on the rampage to avenge the death at the hands of a group of alleged nyaope addicts who they accused of terrorising the community after getting drugs from foreign nationals.
Several foreign-owned shops were forced to close and foreigners fled after a vigilante mob of taxi people vowed to attack and hunt them down for, they said, being a conduit for the drugs.
According to Boitekong Taxi Association members, the violence was triggered by the death of one of their taxi drivers, Lebogang Motlhabane, 33, who was mugged and kidnapped last month, allegedly by a group of nyaope addicts known as the SVK.
On Saturday, taxi owner Lucky Maulane, 44, was also attacked and mugged, allegedly by the same nyaope gang, and this incident triggered the violence that erupted on Monday.
Maulane is in hospital, with injuries to his head and ribs.
Aubrey Malinga, a member of the taxi association, said Motlhabane died after being kidnapped and held hostage for 12 days.
“He was assaulted and released by these boys [SVK] after 12 days but died while in hospital last week,” he said.
As a result, the taxi association decided to not only target the group said to be behind the attacks, but also the al- leged drug dealers who sold them nyaope.
“On Monday we hunted down the boys who were responsible for these attacks and caught one of them and he showed us where they get the drugs from foreign nationals,” Malinga said.
“Then we went to hunt down the drug dealers because they are the ones who are responsible for what we have been going through.”
Maulane’s son Oscar said his father was attacked and has been fighting for his life.
“My father was pelted with rocks and assaulted with sticks in the early hours of Saturday. He was going to fetch his taxi and take it to the rank,” he said.
Sowetan visited the burnt properties identified by the taxi association and community as brothels and drug dens. One of the property owners refused to comment, saying that he did not wish to be singled out and punished by the community.
Motheo Selelo, a resident, said he did not agree with the violence to tackle drug peddling and prostitution in the area.
“But it’s difficult when you live here because the police are also working with drug dealers.
“People have been left frustrated, but it doesn’t justify burning people’s buildings,” Selelo said.
Rustenburg mayor Mpho Khunou said they were concerned by the vigilantism and urged community members to refrain from taking matters into their own hands.
“In order to tackle the situation, various arms of the state have to work together.
“I know there’s an issue with the alleged involvement of some of the police and drug dealers.
“We don’t believe that all the policemen are involved in this and we have raised this matter with the minister of police to root out the bad apples,” he said.
Khunou said foreign nationals were not solely to blame for the ills.