Two men, one a taxi driver, were killed and two police officers injured during – and after – a suspected hit on a taxi on the R61 between Mthatha and Libode on Wednesday afternoon.
In a bizarre turn of events, the police team sent to respond to the taxi attack arrived at the scene of the shooting in an official car – a grey Polo – identical in make and colour to the car used by the hitmen.
This sparked an attack on the police officers, two of whom were stabbed.
A member of the public also died, reportedly shot by police.
Violence had broken out at 4pm when a taxi offloading passengers at Vezamandla stop near Gxulu about 15km outside Mthatha was sprayed with bullets, allegedly by hitmen travelling in a grey Polo.
Eastern Cape police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni said: “A 24-year-old male driver was fatally wounded and certified dead on the scene during this attack.”
The hitmen’s grey Polo then sped off towards Port St Johns.
“Police responded and sent a tracking team in search of a grey Polo that was alleged to have been used during the attack, but unfortunately the team were attacked by a group of community members accusing them of being responsible for the taxi attack when they stopped at the scene.”
He said that was when two police sergeants were stabbed.
“However, one of them managed to draw his firearm and fatally wounded a 28-year-old man.”
The spokesman said the injured officers were rushed to hospital and were in a stable condition.
He said that when expert investigators combed the scene they discovered that a state firearm had been stolen during the attack on the police members.
Several cases of murder, attempted murder and robbery were being investigated.
The police have appealed to anyone with information to report it to the nearest police station or call Crime Stop on 0860010111 and Crime Line 32211.
Yesterday, provincial transport spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie said they had now escalated the matter to the office of Transport Minister Blade Nzimande.
Yesterday Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga condemned attacks on police officers.
She said police had a constitutional mandate to combat crime. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Two shot dead, two cops stabbed in bizarre taxi attack twist
In a bizarre turn of events, the police team sent to respond to the taxi attack arrived at the scene of the shooting in an official car – a grey Polo – identical in make and colour to the car used by the hitmen.
This sparked an attack on the police officers, two of whom were stabbed.
A member of the public also died, reportedly shot by police.
Violence had broken out at 4pm when a taxi offloading passengers at Vezamandla stop near Gxulu about 15km outside Mthatha was sprayed with bullets, allegedly by hitmen travelling in a grey Polo.
Eastern Cape police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni said: “A 24-year-old male driver was fatally wounded and certified dead on the scene during this attack.”
The hitmen’s grey Polo then sped off towards Port St Johns.
“Police responded and sent a tracking team in search of a grey Polo that was alleged to have been used during the attack, but unfortunately the team were attacked by a group of community members accusing them of being responsible for the taxi attack when they stopped at the scene.”
He said that was when two police sergeants were stabbed.
“However, one of them managed to draw his firearm and fatally wounded a 28-year-old man.”
The spokesman said the injured officers were rushed to hospital and were in a stable condition.
He said that when expert investigators combed the scene they discovered that a state firearm had been stolen during the attack on the police members.
Several cases of murder, attempted murder and robbery were being investigated.
The police have appealed to anyone with information to report it to the nearest police station or call Crime Stop on 0860010111 and Crime Line 32211.
Yesterday, provincial transport spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie said they had now escalated the matter to the office of Transport Minister Blade Nzimande.
Yesterday Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga condemned attacks on police officers.
She said police had a constitutional mandate to combat crime. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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