The SAPS Provincial Taxi Team arrested three men for murder at oSizweni, Newcastle.
On January 20, 60-year-old Samuel Mazibuko was driving in section B, oSizweni. An unknown amount of people shot at Samuel, while he was in his vehicle. Suspects sped off in an unknown vehicle and left him with multiple gunshot wounds. Samuel died on the scene. The police recovered shotgun cartridges and also discovered that Samuel Mazibuko was the executive member of Sizwe Taxi Association.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, arrested three suspects and charged them for murder. The suspects appeared in Madadeni Magistrates’ Court yesterday, March 18, and are now being kept in custody until March 26 for bail application.
“The taxi industry is a multi-billion Rand industry and many are driven by greed to eliminate rivals and competitors within the industry. Fierce competition for passengers and lucrative routes continue to build up tension and fuel the violence with innocent commuters getting caught in the crossfire between rival associations. Over the years, we have successfully arrested and prosecuted perpetrators of taxi-violence and will continue to do so until the industry is stabilized. We are working closely with the KZN Department of Transport and are confident that peace and order will prevail once we have the culprits who are inciting the violence, behind bars,” said Ngobeni.
