Shock over two taxi shootings

A MTHATHA taxi owner was shot dead and an East London area driver seriously wounded in ambush-style shootings that have sent shockwaves through the Eastern Cape taxi industry.

The bullets missed a fivemonth-old baby, but the child’s father, Zukisani Rhilityana, 42, died and his mother, Ntsaphokazi Ndimangele, was wounded when gunmen fired on the family as they approached the gate of their home at Marhambeni, near Mthatha, at about 9pm on Monday night.

The couple were shot in their upper bodies and rushed to Nelson Mandela Central Hospital. Ndimangele was discharged yesterday.

“Two empty cartridges from a pistol were picked up at the scene,” Mthatha police spokeswoman Captain Dineo Koena said yesterday. She appealed to the public for information.

Rhilityana, from Ngcobo, was a member of the Border Alliance Taxi Association (Bata) at Mthatha’s Mamela taxi rank.

Yesterday, Bata executives at the rank refused to give their names, but expressed shock.

“We are confused and are trying to gather facts,” one said.

“We don’t even know whether his shooting was related to the taxi violence.

“But we don’t feel safe ourselves after this attack.”

A meeting will be held at the taxi rank today.

In the Kidd’s Beach area, on the outskirts of East London, Luzuko Lali, 35, was shot several times while driving in Good Hope village (Village 9), also on Monday night.

East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said Lali was in a critical condition in hospital, which she did not want to name.

Lali drives the Needs CampKuni route for the Mdantsane East London and District Taxi Association.

Eastern Cape South African National Taxi Council leader Noluntu Mahashe called for a stop to the violence.

“We can’t live like this. Taxi violence was long over.

“The last time we heard about this was a decade or two ago. Why now?” Mahashe said.

Lali’s shooting comes a few days after taxi operator Xolile Baliso, 44, was shot and killed outside his house in NU16 on Wednesday last week.

Baliso’s killing’s was linked to taxi violence.

The taxi violence death toll in the region is believed to be 25 since May last year.