A taxi owner has been shot and killed outside his home in Verulam north of Durban.
It’s alleged that that the man was opening the boot of his vehicle when he was ambushed by an unknown suspect.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele says, “A male aged 40 was in the company of his wife in the house. He jumped out of his vehicle to [open] the boot of the vehicle when he was approached by a hail of bullets. He was shot several times, he died at the scene. The suspect was seen running and jumping into a white VW Polo Vivo. At the moment it’s not known what the motive was but it can be confirmed that the deceased is the taxi owner.”
Meanwhile, 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.
In August, Santaco in KwaZulu-Natal has welcomed the arrest of three alleged hit-men linked to the recent spate of taxi-related violence in the province.
The arrests were part of a multi-disciplinary operation comprising the Crime Intelligence Unit and the Provincial Taxi Task Team.
