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The bloodstained sedan whose occupants were ambushed at Sibasa on Tuesday morning. The driver was wounded and rushed to hospital.

New taxi war?

 

The possibility of the resurgence of taxi violence reared its ugly head again in Vhembe after the ambush-style shooting of a man in Sibasa, leaving many people worried.

The incident, believed to be a revival of the taxi violence, happened around 08:00 on Tuesday morning and had commuters and shoppers diving for cover. The incident took place close to a busy intersection next to the Total Garage in Sibasa.

At the end of the shooting, a 63-year-old man driving a sedan was taken away to the local hospital with gunshot wounds to the thigh.

Circumstances around the shooting are still sketchy and speculation is rife. The bloodied white VW sedan stood deserted for hours while the police combed the area for clues.

The incident attracted a huge crowd of onlookers, who had gathered within a short space of time. The busy road was closed and cordoned off for hours, while different police units gathered evidence at the scene.

Sources close to the situation in Sibasa expressed no doubt that the incident was related to taxi violence in the area. Allegations are that a car matching the description of the ambushed sedan was allegedly spotted doing surveillance in the area the previous day.

This is not the first incident where fire-arms where used and, in some instances, lives were also lost. Late last year, two prominent members of the taxi fraternity were mercilessly gunned down in what was believed to be hired hits by their rivals.

The first casualty was a senior official of the Johannesburg Long Distance Taxi Association, William Nethononda (65) of Thohoyandou Block F. He was ambushed on arrival at his gate from the local taxi rank where he had taxis.

Almost a week after his killing, yet another operator, Nthambeleni Tshishonga (49) of Maniini, was also gunned down as he was relaxing at a local car wash at Maniini.

Insiders say the taxi industry in Vhembe is at boiling point, with operators threatening each other in broad daylight. "Many innocent lives are still going to be lost here in this fight. This is really a very bad situation where the barrel of the gun is used to solve problems, instead of sitting down around the table and solving their issues. The sooner the police act and arrest the perpetrators, the better," said a source, who preferred anonymity.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed the shooting and said a 63-year-old man had been shot in the thigh during the incident and taken to hospital. "Speedy reaction by the police led to the arrest of one suspect and the recovery of a 9mm pistol with three live rounds. The motive for the shooting is not known at this stage, but investigations are ongoing, and the suspect will appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court soon," Ngoepe said.

 

 

The busy road at Sibasa was cordoned off for some hours while the police conducted a search of the scene.

 

Date:17 March 2019

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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