Police made a major breakthrough in their endeavours to crack down on those behind the ongoing taxi violence, when they swooped on six suspected hitmen in Libode.
The Eastern Cape taxi violence task team nabbed the six men at Sibangweni village, which is situated about 8km from Mthatha at about 3am yesterday.
They also confiscated two stolen cars – a Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG and a Hyundai i20 – and two R5 rifles, an AK47 and three pistols.
The guns, some of which had their serial numbers erased, will be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if they can be linked to the taxi violence that has claimed the lives of more than 60 taxi bosses and operators in the Eastern Cape between 2015 and last year.
The six men are from East London, the Western Cape and Mthatha. A seventh man, who is the owner of the house, was taken in for questioning. While police sources said they believed the six men were hitmen in the ongoing taxi violence, Mthatha police spokeswoman Captain Dineo Koena said: “We are going to try and link them to the ongoing taxi violence in the region.”
As the police arrested the six men, five other taxi violence suspects who were arrested over the weekend, appeared in different courts, including Libode and Maclear.
Police Minister Bheki Cele will be in Mthatha today to announce an emergency intervention plan with the aim of resolving taxi violence in Mthatha and surrounding areas in the Eastern Cape.
Koena said various specialised units, led by the provincial taxi violence task team established by provincial commissioner LieutenantGeneral Liziwe Ntshinga, had carried out the operation.
“We have arrested them for possession of two R5 rifles, one with a serial number erased. An AK47 with with no ammunition. Four magazines of an R5 rifle with a total 126 live rounds. Two unlicensed pistols, and another pistol with 25 rounds, which is licensed to the owner of the homestead,” Koena said.
“We also found a total of about 180 rounds of ammunition.”
She said the C250 AMG had been hijacked in December last year in Table View in Cape Town, while the i20 was stolen in Durbanville Hills in January.
Koena said among the men arrested were was a 44-year-old man, who is the younger brother of the homestead owner, a 45-year-old and 30-year-old from Kwelerha village in East London, a 25-year-old from Majola village in Port St Johns, a 28year-old from Lamontville Thongathi in KwaZulu-Natal and a 29-year-old from Khayelitsha in Cape Town.
“They are to appear in court soon, facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” she said.
The homeowner was taken in for questioning to explain what connects him to the suspects who came to camp out in his homestead with guns and stolen vehicles.
The Eastern Cape government and police have escalated the taxi violence crisis in the province to Transport Minister Blade Nzimande’s office.
The violence, mostly over operating routes, has continued unabated despite efforts from the Uncedo Service Taxi Association, Border Alliance Taxi Association, the South African Taxi Council and transport MEC Weziwe Tikana, to end the bloodshed.
Police arrest six in crackdown on taxi violence
The Eastern Cape taxi violence task team nabbed the six men at Sibangweni village, which is situated about 8km from Mthatha at about 3am yesterday.
They also confiscated two stolen cars – a Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG and a Hyundai i20 – and two R5 rifles, an AK47 and three pistols.
The guns, some of which had their serial numbers erased, will be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if they can be linked to the taxi violence that has claimed the lives of more than 60 taxi bosses and operators in the Eastern Cape between 2015 and last year.
The six men are from East London, the Western Cape and Mthatha. A seventh man, who is the owner of the house, was taken in for questioning. While police sources said they believed the six men were hitmen in the ongoing taxi violence, Mthatha police spokeswoman Captain Dineo Koena said: “We are going to try and link them to the ongoing taxi violence in the region.”
As the police arrested the six men, five other taxi violence suspects who were arrested over the weekend, appeared in different courts, including Libode and Maclear.
Police Minister Bheki Cele will be in Mthatha today to announce an emergency intervention plan with the aim of resolving taxi violence in Mthatha and surrounding areas in the Eastern Cape.
Koena said various specialised units, led by the provincial taxi violence task team established by provincial commissioner LieutenantGeneral Liziwe Ntshinga, had carried out the operation.
“We have arrested them for possession of two R5 rifles, one with a serial number erased. An AK47 with with no ammunition. Four magazines of an R5 rifle with a total 126 live rounds. Two unlicensed pistols, and another pistol with 25 rounds, which is licensed to the owner of the homestead,” Koena said.
“We also found a total of about 180 rounds of ammunition.”
She said the C250 AMG had been hijacked in December last year in Table View in Cape Town, while the i20 was stolen in Durbanville Hills in January.
Koena said among the men arrested were was a 44-year-old man, who is the younger brother of the homestead owner, a 45-year-old and 30-year-old from Kwelerha village in East London, a 25-year-old from Majola village in Port St Johns, a 28year-old from Lamontville Thongathi in KwaZulu-Natal and a 29-year-old from Khayelitsha in Cape Town.
“They are to appear in court soon, facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” she said.
The homeowner was taken in for questioning to explain what connects him to the suspects who came to camp out in his homestead with guns and stolen vehicles.
The Eastern Cape government and police have escalated the taxi violence crisis in the province to Transport Minister Blade Nzimande’s office.
The violence, mostly over operating routes, has continued unabated despite efforts from the Uncedo Service Taxi Association, Border Alliance Taxi Association, the South African Taxi Council and transport MEC Weziwe Tikana, to end the bloodshed.
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