‘Put brakes on errant tow truck drivers’
CALLS for the tow truck industry to be regulated grew stronger this week, after two men were killed and three others injured in an alleged hit on Saturday in Overport.
The national chairperson of the United Towing Association of SA, Ettienne Pel, said there was no standard when it came to who entered the industry. That resulted in it becoming lucrative and oversaturated.
So much so, he said, that “you get operators who are unscrupulous and extort consumers”.
He labelled certain individuals as “bullies”, adding that the association had pleaded with law-enforcement agencies to clean up the industry.
Pel said he was in talks with the police to get a task team in place to clamp down on the industry and ensure operators were compliant.
The spokesperson for the KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Kwanele Ncalane, said the department would work with the national government to regulate drivers in order to avoid conflict.
At around 1am on Saturday, a group of armed men in a white Toyota Etios opened fire on Megesh Naidoo, his business partner Imtiaz Khan and three fellow tow truck drivers at a petrol station on Ridge Road. Naidoo, 39, of Acorn Road in Warwick Avenue, died at the scene, while Khan, 39, of Overport, died later in hospital.
The other three were severely injured. While Naidoo’s brother, Sagren, has demanded authorities regulate tow truck drivers, after the alleged hit was linked to industry tension, a friend said the deceased’s wife, Rebecca, had allegedly been repeatedly threatened and was often afraid to leave her house.
The friend, who declined to be named, said Naidoo, a father of three, wanted to quit the business due to the alleged feuds in the industry.
Naidoo, Khan and one of the three other survivors co-owned the tow trucking business. He also owned a tavern in Durban’s CBD and a fleet of taxis.
Naidoo’s funeral will be today. Khan was buried on Saturday at the Cope Road cemetery.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said cases of murder and attempted murder were being investigated.
Nadia Vosloo, the communications manager of Total said the perpetrators must be brought to book.
“It is very unfortunate that the crime occurred and a life was lost. We are providing trauma counselling for our service station employees from Total On Ridge to ensure their well-being after the incident.”
Vosloo said safety was one of company’s core values, so security measures such as CCTV cameras had been put in place at service stations.
When asked whether tow truck drivers would be allowed to park at its service stations, she said: “Total cannot dictate who uses our service stations. If customers are law-abiding citizens, they are welcome on our premises.”