The Gauteng Taxi Violence Commission of Inquiry in Johannesburg has heard that members of the police’s Taxi Violence Task Team in Gauteng tend to focus more on cases with a high possibility of conviction.
This was revealed by Commander Mohamed Bayat.
Bayat says they are overwhelmed by the number of taxi-related killings.
The commission has established that over 500 taxi-related killings, some dating back to 2012, are still unresolved.
Bayat says each of the 12 investigators has to tackle about 70 cases on their own.
“I can show you a guy who’s done exceptionally well on certain dockets, and certain dockets will sort of lack behind. One of my investigating officers was investigating a case of armed robbery, or a firearm. The one morning he’s leaving for work, young boys being happy, they’re going to help daddy reverse out of the yard, say daddy stop there’s something under the car, it was a packet, when he opened it it was a firearm in the packet, same firearm that was taken from the complainant. So it’s a reality, they even know where the investigating officers are staying,” explains Bayat.
In September, Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela was called before the Commission of Inquiry into Taxi Violence in Gauteng to account for hundreds of unresolved taxi-related murders.
This followed revelations by retired Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo, the commission’s investigator, that 505 taxi-related murder cases, dating back to 2012, are still pending.
President of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), Phillip Taaibosch, said when taxi operators are killed, in most cases, the suspects are never found.
