Memorial service for slain Ivory Park taxi drivers on Thursday
Mkhonza said the association had lost a big number of drivers at one go
Twelve people of Ivory Park were brutally killed on Saturday night when gunmen opened fire on the taxi they were travelling in, returning from a colleague’s funeral.
Only four of the people in the Toyota Quantum survived the attack which happened along the R74 between Colenso and Weenen.
The twelve victims were killed as they returned from Zwayi Mthembu’s funeral service in KwaZulu-Natal. Over 200 shots were fired at the vehicle.
Mthembu, a member of Ivory Park Taxi Association (IPTA), was fatally shot together with another two taxi owners earlier. They died on the scene inside a taxi Quantum.
IPTA chairman Johannes Mkhonza confirmed that out of the 12 people shot dead, 10 were IPTA taxi operators.
“The other two men were their friends. The taxi operators had gone to their colleague’s funeral and we do not know what went wrong on their way back. We can’t link these killing to taxi violence because we are not fighting with any other taxi association for routes or any other matter,” explained Mkhonza.
Mkhonza said the association had lost a big number of drivers at one go.
“Our taxi operators are known for their good behaviour and dress code. We are still shocked and saddened by the brutal attack. Innocent people just died for what, we don’t know,” he added.
Mkhonza said they’ve arranged a memorial service for the dead to at Rabie Ridge Community Hall on Thursday, July 26. The service is due to start at 1pm.
According to Ladysmith Gazette, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Khehla Sitole, activated a 72-hour action plan on Sunday, consisting of officers from specialised units within the SAPS, including Crime Intelligence, Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (HAWKS), detectives, Special Task Force, etc, to trace and apprehend those responsible for these killings.
They further reported that the MEC for transport, community safety and liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda, distanced the incident from the ongoing taxi conflicts in Ladysmith, which have resulted in the suspension of some operations of the Sizwe and Klipriver taxi associations.
“We have not found any link that this incident is related with the taxi conflicts in Ladysmith or anywhere else in the province. The areas have been stable since government intervened in the area. There are strong indications, however, that this incident is related with taxi conflict in Gauteng,” said Kaunda.
