Government to act on tow truck drivers’ deaths

THE provincial government said it was going to look into how the operations of tow truck drivers can be regulated to avoid conflict after two drivers were shot dead over the weekend.

During the incident in Overport, three other drivers who were also shot were critically injured.

Police provincial spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said the five tow truck drivers were at a service station in Ridge Road when occupants in a Toyota Etios with tinted windows fired randomly at them.

“One died at the scene and four were taken to hospital, where one later died. They sustained gunshot wounds to the body,” said Gwala.

KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Department spokesperson, Kwanele Ncalane, said the department was aware of the tension within some tow truck groupings and said the province would be making recommendations to national government to see what policies and interventions could be made.

“There has to be some form of standardisation that we need to look into, but as we make our investigations we will be looking broadly and holistically at the entire industry,” said Ncalane.

The United Towing Association of South Africa chairperson, Ettienne Pel, said turf wars were very serious and real, especially in KZN.

“Information that has come forward is that it was an assassination and that it has something to do with territorial areas or gangsterism,” said Pel.

He said there were allegations that gangsterism within the industry was growing, but he said problems within the industry were not taken seriously by authorities.

Pel said a draft regulations document was written in Gauteng that could be used as a guideline nationally, however, it cannot be finalised and implemented until The SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) finalises their draft document.

“Until the SABS document has been finalised, the regulations document for Gauteng cannot be legislated and implemented,” Pels said.