South Africa: Slain Taxi Bosses Remembered As One More Dies and Two Still Critical

A fifth taxi owner has died in hospital after last week's shooting at Mfuleni taxi rank, leaving one more owner and a passenger still injured.
Codeta says the violence started when members resumed a route they are legally allowed to run but were blocked by another association.

Security was tight outside Nyameko Primary School in Mfuleni, Cape Town, where families and taxi workers gathered to honour four slain taxi owners.

The four men were gunned down at the Codeta taxi rank last week. Now a fifth taxi owner, who was rushed to hospital with two others, has also died. One more owner and a passenger remain in hospital. The passenger is still fighting for his life.

Police and other law enforcement officers were on high alert at the memorial service.

Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) chairman Nceba Enge said the violence broke out after their members tried to resume operations on the Mfuleni to Bellville route.

"Our members have permits to pick up and drop off passengers from Somerset, but they had not done so for years because of problems. When they started again, there was trouble," said Enge.

He explained that the route was supposed to be shared. Talks started in 2021, but nothing was agreed. The recent move to run the route again sparked the attack, he said.

The two taxi associations had a meeting on Friday, but Enge said they could not reach an agreement. "We will meet again next Tuesday," he said. "We are sorry to our passengers for the disruptions."

Mlungiseleli Nduleni was at the taxi rank when the shooting happened. He lost a family member in the attack.

"We still cannot believe he's gone. He did not deserve to die like that," he said.

The family plans to bury him in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on Saturday, 21 June.

Fezeka Nombethe, another grieving relative, said they had lost their main breadwinner. "Whenever we had a problem, he was the first person we called," she said. "Now I do not know who will help us."

He will be laid to rest in Ngcobo.

Community members also came to pay their respects and support the grieving families.

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