Clock ticking for meter taxis
WARNING: INDUSTRY IN GAUTENG WILL BE SHUT DOWN IF EVIDENCE POINTS TO MEMBERS
MEC for roads and transport says barbaric behaviour won’t be tolerated in resolving squabbles.
If evidence suggests that it was meter taxi drivers who were responsible for the brutal killing of Taxify driver Siyabonga Ngcobo, all meter taxi operations will be stopped in the province, vowed Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Ismail Vadi yesterday.
Vadi, accompanied by Gauteng MEC for community safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, visited the family of the deceased 21-yearold in Centurion yesterday.
Ngcobo, who recently joined Taxify as a driver, was attacked by a group of unknown people on Friday. The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) student was thrown into the boot of his car shortly before the vehicle was set alight, burning him beyond recognition.
Vadi expressed disgust at the killing, saying a line needed to be drawn after this “despicable, barbaric act of criminality”.
“We don’t know who the suspects are. But should it turn out eventually that evidence points in the direction of meter taxis, we will have to shut down all operations of meter taxis in this province.
“We can’t carry on like this. We can’t have barbaric behaviour becoming the norm to resolve a business squabble. We can’t allow lives to be taken in this matter.”
Nkosi-Malobane sent a stern warning to the “bastards” who were responsible for the death of the sports management student, assuring that the perpetrators would be found, “dead or alive”.
“It is shocking that someone can just take someone’s life the way they did. This boy showed signs of being a good citizen. He was a student at TUT and his family was hoping he would contribute in bettering his life and that of his family. But these bastards decided to take his life the way they did.
“I want to commit that we will make sure whoever is behind this gruesome murder will definitely be arrested or found, dead or alive, and brought to book. They must face the music and be punished for what they did,” she said.
Ngcobo’s emotional aunt, Nosipho Mathenjwa, said she hoped the violence between the meter taxi industry and e-hailing services comes to an end.
“We don’t have strength to say much but we are grateful for the support from the MECs and the mayor. We trust that they will win this battle so that what happened to our family doesn’t happen to anyone else. Thank you very much for the support.” –