KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu has condemned Tuesday’s shooting at Ladysmith in the province’s Midlands that claimed the lives of eleven people.
Gunmen ambushed the deputy chairperson of the Klip River taxi association along with his son, daughter and two bodyguards. The driver lost control of the bakkie, and collided with a mini bus taxi transporting educators.
Five teachers died at the scene and one in hospital. Mchunu is due to get a full briefing from the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Mxolisi Kaunda regarding interventions to ensure peace and stability in the area.
The provincial government says it will soon introduce operation Thulumsindo to address instability in the taxi industry. The shooting is believed to be linked to a feud over a lucrative taxi route.
On Wednesday, water bottles, lunch boxes, make up kits and reading glasses were scattered around on the Matiwaneskop road after the crash. The jaws of life were used to remove the bodies from the wreckage. The road was closed for more than eight hours as police forensic teams and pathologists combed the scene.
A police helicopter circled above the scene, where distraught family members had gathered. The name of the victims will be released once the families have positively identified the bodies. No arrests have been made and police investigations continue.
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