POLOKWANE – A local tow truck driver was shot in front of his home in Luthuli Park in the early hours of last Tuesday morning, in a drive-by shooting allegedly perpetrated by a business rival.
The 27-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous in the interest of his safety, told Review he had just arrived at home from an accident scene when the dogs started to bark.
“I went outside and saw a suspicious-looking vehicle. I decided to follow the car in my own vehicle, but lost it along the way. On my way home the same car returned and approached me.
At the same time, I recognised the driver. I asked what he wanted and he then pulled out a gun and fired four shots. I was shocked but managed to drive to a colleague’s house who lives about four kilometres away from me,” the man said.
“Two shots went under the car, one lodged in the door frame and another hit me in the arm. I only realised I was shot when I arrived at my colleague’s house. He took me to Seshego Hospital, but they wouldn’t help me, so I went to the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital where they helped me straight away,” the man said. He was discharged from hospital last Thursday after the bullet was removed.
Asked why he had chased after the vehicle, he said over the past couple of years, there had been a war between tow truck drivers. He said he recognised the man in the vehicle as being part of the gang that was responsible for the war, and he knew that the person was there to set his tow truck alight. He added that, previously, this was what had happened to other tow truck drivers he knew.
WO Mothemane Malefo, Seshego police spokesperson, said a case of attempted murder was being investigated. “No arrest has been made as yet. We appeal to the community to assist us in tracing Morgan Matlala who might be able to assist us in this case,” Malefo said.
Asked if the incident could be linked to a possible tow-truck war, Malefo could not confirm the allegation. “We cannot speculate,” Malefo said.
