East London taxi driver says police wanted to kill him
Asiphe Tunywa feels lucky after surviving a hail of bullets fired at him while driving along Buffalo Street
Taxi driver Asiphe Tunywa says he was lucky to have survived a hail of bullets fired at him, allegedly by police, in East London last Monday evening.
Tunywa ’ s Suzuki taxi was hit by seven bullets while he was driving along Buffalo Street with his friends. Two of the bullets hit him in the legs.
After being treated briefly at Frere Hospital, he says the police allegedly threw him into the back of a vehicle and drove him to police holding cells while in pain.
A traumatised Tunywa, 28, said he did not know how the other bullets had missed him and the two friends travelling with him.
“It felt like an assassination attempt. Those cops meant to kill us. That was traumatic and I am still shaken. Hearing those shots hitting the body of the vehicle was scary,” he said.
He spoke to Dispatch at his Jongilanga village home in Kwelerha and said he was still struggling to walk. Tunywa said while driving he had noticed a police vehicle riding behind him. He proceeded to another street and the vehicle followed him.
“Soon after the police flashed their blue lights. I continued driving as normal because in my mind the police flash their blue lights. I was not sure what to do,” he said.
As he approached St John’s Road, he noticed more police vehicles on the road and he slowed down.
“But as I was doing that, they started firing towards my car. They fired straight at the driver ’ s door and I became scared and confused. I sped off.”
With police in pursuit, he lost control on a bend not far from the Buffalo City traffic department in Braelyn. He managed to get out of the vehicle but found he could not run. This was when he saw he was bleeding.
“I felt my legs were wet and I could not run. But within a few seconds there was an ambulance that took me to Frere Hospital.”
His two friends were allowed to go home as the police said they were his passengers.
But police were waiting for him and after a few minutes he was released from Frere hospital and said he was made to walk from the hospital to the police vehicle.
He claimed that police officers dragged him and threw him, bleeding and in pain, into the
It felt like an assassination attempt. Those cops meant to kill us. That was traumatic and I am still shaken
back of the vehicle.
“I was traumatised by that experience. I did not know why they arrested me.”
He was then taken to East London police where he was charged with drunken driving. He spent the night in a police holding cell. The following day, in the East London magistrate ’ s court, he was given bail of R2,000, but he said the charges were withdrawn and he was released. Tunywa said he was refunded his bail money.
His mother, Nosiphelo Tunywa, was unhappy with the actions of the police, saying:
There were other ways that the police could have handled this matter. The anxiety of getting a call to be told that there has been an incident and to have to rush to the police ... that was scariest moment of my life.”
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Sibongile Soci confirmed the cases. “A case of drunken driving was opened and taken to East London magistrate's court on 07 October 2020. Still awaiting for the blood results.”
She said the docket against the police has been transferred to IPID and SAPS cannot comment on the matter.