Jeff Wicks reports for The Witness tensions in Durban taxi associations are close to flashpoint,
with another arranged killing that rocked the city yesterday sparking fears of
further retaliatory murders.
The dramatic shooting on the N2 freeway left an Inanda taxi owner
fighting for his life and his wife dead. His name is being withheld until his
next of kin have been informed.
This is the second hit-style slaying to knock the local taxi trade
in two days. Inanda taxi association deputy chairperson Falakhe Maphumulo was
gunned down on Monday on the M25 KwaMashu Highway.
The precision and the accuracy of the gunmen shocked experienced
cops, who expected more bloodshed in the days to come.
The Taxi Violence Unit, a provincial outfit tasked with probing all
crimes linked to the violent transport trade, had started processing the scene
which forced the closure of the freeway in both directions.
The taxi boss was airlifted to the Nkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital
and remains in a critical condition.
Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker provided only brief details
of the shooting as detectives taped off a crime scene that stretched over nearly
500 metres.
“We can confirm that the taxi owner and a female passenger were
shot by two unknown men who sped off in their vehicle along N2 freeway near
Nandi Drive Ultra City.
“A passenger died at the scene and the driver was taken to hospital
for medical attention. Motive is unknown at this stage. We will provide more
information later since police are still at the scene,” he said.
A police source, who could not be named, warned that the body count
may rise.
“The Inkabi [Zulu for hitmen] are dangerous and you can see from
what happened here that they are professional. They didn’t spray the car; they
kept up with it and made sure they killed the target. We think it is linked to
the shooting on Monday and there will be more. The taxi bosses sort out their
problems with bullets,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal Violence Monitor Mary de Haas said that bloodshed
from taxi feuds was commonplace.
“The situation in the taxi industry is forever tenuous and scores
are settled by rival hitmen. These men receive training and become guns for hire
in a never ending cycle of tit-for-tat killings,” she said.
“The problem is that there is no police framework to investigate
these killings so the gunmen go untouched.
“The Taxi Violence Unit is largely ineffective and they have no
buttressing from Crime Intelligence, who should be gathering solid and reliable
information that would prevent these killings, or at least bring those
responsible to book,” she said.
Commenting on Monday’s killing, Transport, Community Safety and
Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu said: “A team of officials from the public transport
section will work with the taxi associations in the area to establish if there
are pressing issues that need to be addressed urgently.
“I would like to remind members of taxi associations to work with
us so that we can prevent the conflict and the resultant killings,” said Mchunu.