- A taxi came under fire in Inanda, leaving one passenger dead.
- This is the second taxi from the Ndwedwe and District Taxi Association to come under fire this month.
- KZN Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Bheki Ntuli called for swift action from police.
A passenger in a Durban taxi was shot dead after the vehicle full of passengers came under fire on Wednesday night, authorities have said.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Bheki Ntuli called on police “to scour every corner in the province and strain every nerve” to find the suspects involved in the fatal shooting of the passenger in a taxi travelling from Durban to Umzinyathi.
Ntuli said preliminary reports were that a taxi affiliated to the Ndwedwe and District Taxi Association, which was transporting passengers, came under heavy attack from unknown assailants at a set of traffic lights in Inanda.
“Several passengers who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to hospital and one passenger succumbed to their injuries this morning,” Ntuli said.
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This incident comes nearly two weeks after a taxi affiliated to the same association was fired on multiple times by unknown gunmen who were travelling in a white bakkie.
Gunshots
In that incident, a 55-year-old female passenger was shot and declared dead on the scene, while seven passengers who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to hospital.
Ntuli condemned the latest attack and callled on law enforcement to decisively deal with taxi-related violence.
“It cannot be business as usual when we are continuously mourning the loss of innocent passengers because of taxi-related violence. I have tasked police to intensify visibility along the area to prevent further attacks.”
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He threatened to deal decisively with criminals involved in the attacks.
“We cannot allow such heartless criminals to continue roaming the streets, so we will squeeze the space for these criminals who are terrorising our communities. I will not hesitate to impose extraordinary measures, and I am exploring all legal avenues to decisively deal with this issue,” he said.
Ntuli also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased and urged police to speed up their investigation.
