The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will take the stand on Wednesday at the Commission of Inquiry into Taxi Violence in Gauteng.
NPA Deputy Director in Gauteng, George Baloyi, is expected to give evidence on their handling of criminal cases in the taxi industry.
The inquiry was set up in September last year after a spate of taxi-related killings in Gauteng. It has since established that over 500 taxi-related murder cases, some dating back to 2012, are still unresolved.
In the video below, Gauteng Transport MEC, Jacob Mamabolo speaks about the mandate of the commission:
The Commission’s Spokesperson, Koena Moabelo says, “The Deputy Director of Prosecutions Mr George Baloyi, he’ll be talking about how they institute and conduct criminal cases on behalf of the state, how they carry out necessary functions regarding instituting and conducting such criminal proceedings, specifically to the taxi related cases.”
‘Suspects never found’
Earlier this month, the 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.
Taaibosch says one of the causes of taxi violence in Gauteng is the high number of taxi associations operating in the same city.
He made reference to rival taxi associations that have clashed over routes in the Johannesburg area for years.
