A HIGH ranking East London taxi official with more than 20 years of taxi industry experience was shot dead on a busy street in Vergenoeg on Tuesday evening.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred while the official, Bongani Mazwi, had been ferrying a mother and her two young children.
He was allegedly accosted by two gunmen in Alphen Road who then shot him repeatedly in full view of the public.
Mazwi, a public relations officer for the Amaphela Transport Cooperative (ATC), had been driving his blue Toyota Corolla.
ATC is a regional taxi cooperative comprising owner-drivers, who for the most part use sedans.
During the past few years, the number of members in the cooperative has dwindled from around 300 to 150.
Eyewitness Aubrey Steenkamp, who had been standing outside a tavern across the street from the shootings, said the incident happened at 7pm.
“My friend and I were chatting over a cigarette. There were two guys waiting on the road, the taxi was passing by and they flagged it down,” he explained.
He said as soon as it stopped, one of the men ran to the driver’s window. “The driver rolled down the window as if to listen to what the guy wanted to say but the man drew a gun and repeatedly shot him in the head.”
A second man also allegedly ran to the vehicle window and began shooting at the victim.
He said six shots rang out, with the sixth shot narrowly missing him. “I don’t know if they shot at us by mistake but the bullet hit the wall of the tavern and I felt plaster on my shoulder. I was scared,” he said.
The two gunmen fled the scene on foot. “While they were running, one of them fell on the road but quickly got up and continued running,” said Steenkamp.
Another resident, Valda Meyers, said she had been working in a nearby shop when she heard the shots. She was one of the first residents to call Buffalo Flats police.
“They wanted him dead. I went to see for myself. They did not even take anything from him, they just shot the driver while the poor woman and her kids in the back seat cried for mercy.”
She said after the men had fled, the woman had pushed open the passenger door and hysterically pushed out her young daughter, who fell onto the concrete pavement. “She came out crying, carrying the boy. I think the children were between the ages of four and five. She entered a nearby store and immediately realising she had left her luggage in the car,” said Meyers.
She said a traffic officer had opened the boot of the taxi and assisted the woman in offloading her luggage.
“We don’t know the woman and we don’t know her destination, but she ran off in the upper direction of Alphen Road, crying,” she said, adding that residents had surrounded the car to gape at the sight of the deceased Mazwi.
Mazwi’s tearful girlfriend, Siphokazi Mabulu, who was informed of his death an hour after the shooting, said last year Mazwi narrowly escaped with his life when he was ambushed by gunmen in Duncan Village.
The father of four was shot and wounded in the stomach.
Mthunzi Krwempe, a general secretary of the National Amalgamated Transport Employers’ Organisation (Nateo) said they suspected Mazwi was killed because of his involvement with the ATC. Nateo is the umbrella body of the ATC.
“People who are threatened by the continued existence of the Amaphela Taxi Cooperative are behind this,” said Krwempe.
“At the time of his death he was still carrying the bullet from the first attempt on his life,” said Krwempe. It is thought the attempt was to stop him, and frighten off other small taxi operators like him, from plying their trade on East London’s roads.
He said the ATC had recently succeeded in overturning a previous court ruling prohibiting small taxis from operating independently on East London roads.
The application for the prohibition had been brought by a number of established taxi associations (TA) in East London including the East London TA, the Mdantsane East London TA, East London District TA and the Mdantsane Uncedo Services TA.
“We were at the East London High Court on September 17 when the order was rescinded.
“We are now operating without fear of victimisation,” he said.
East London police spokesman Captain Stephen Marais said they were investigating a murder case. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Gunmen shoot dead veteran taxi official
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred while the official, Bongani Mazwi, had been ferrying a mother and her two young children.
He was allegedly accosted by two gunmen in Alphen Road who then shot him repeatedly in full view of the public.
Mazwi, a public relations officer for the Amaphela Transport Cooperative (ATC), had been driving his blue Toyota Corolla.
ATC is a regional taxi cooperative comprising owner-drivers, who for the most part use sedans.
During the past few years, the number of members in the cooperative has dwindled from around 300 to 150.
Eyewitness Aubrey Steenkamp, who had been standing outside a tavern across the street from the shootings, said the incident happened at 7pm.
“My friend and I were chatting over a cigarette. There were two guys waiting on the road, the taxi was passing by and they flagged it down,” he explained.
He said as soon as it stopped, one of the men ran to the driver’s window. “The driver rolled down the window as if to listen to what the guy wanted to say but the man drew a gun and repeatedly shot him in the head.”
A second man also allegedly ran to the vehicle window and began shooting at the victim.
He said six shots rang out, with the sixth shot narrowly missing him. “I don’t know if they shot at us by mistake but the bullet hit the wall of the tavern and I felt plaster on my shoulder. I was scared,” he said.
The two gunmen fled the scene on foot. “While they were running, one of them fell on the road but quickly got up and continued running,” said Steenkamp.
Another resident, Valda Meyers, said she had been working in a nearby shop when she heard the shots. She was one of the first residents to call Buffalo Flats police.
“They wanted him dead. I went to see for myself. They did not even take anything from him, they just shot the driver while the poor woman and her kids in the back seat cried for mercy.”
She said after the men had fled, the woman had pushed open the passenger door and hysterically pushed out her young daughter, who fell onto the concrete pavement. “She came out crying, carrying the boy. I think the children were between the ages of four and five. She entered a nearby store and immediately realising she had left her luggage in the car,” said Meyers.
She said a traffic officer had opened the boot of the taxi and assisted the woman in offloading her luggage.
“We don’t know the woman and we don’t know her destination, but she ran off in the upper direction of Alphen Road, crying,” she said, adding that residents had surrounded the car to gape at the sight of the deceased Mazwi.
Mazwi’s tearful girlfriend, Siphokazi Mabulu, who was informed of his death an hour after the shooting, said last year Mazwi narrowly escaped with his life when he was ambushed by gunmen in Duncan Village.
The father of four was shot and wounded in the stomach.
Mthunzi Krwempe, a general secretary of the National Amalgamated Transport Employers’ Organisation (Nateo) said they suspected Mazwi was killed because of his involvement with the ATC. Nateo is the umbrella body of the ATC.
“People who are threatened by the continued existence of the Amaphela Taxi Cooperative are behind this,” said Krwempe.
“At the time of his death he was still carrying the bullet from the first attempt on his life,” said Krwempe. It is thought the attempt was to stop him, and frighten off other small taxi operators like him, from plying their trade on East London’s roads.
He said the ATC had recently succeeded in overturning a previous court ruling prohibiting small taxis from operating independently on East London roads.
The application for the prohibition had been brought by a number of established taxi associations (TA) in East London including the East London TA, the Mdantsane East London TA, East London District TA and the Mdantsane Uncedo Services TA.
“We were at the East London High Court on September 17 when the order was rescinded.
“We are now operating without fear of victimisation,” he said.
East London police spokesman Captain Stephen Marais said they were investigating a murder case. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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