Latest news with #Nqatha
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Eastern Cape taxi boss gunned down in police firefight with protection racket syndicate
An Eastern Cape taxi boss was among six people shot dead during a police shootout on the R61 outside Mthatha on Monday – part of an intelligence-driven crackdown on alleged extortionists linked to protection rackets. A well-known taxi boss in Mthatha was gunned down on Monday evening along with five suspects who were being followed by the police as part of an intelligence-driven operation. 'An intelligence-driven operation targeted individuals suspected of involvement in extortion activities within the area. Police stopped the vehicle and the suspects stopped. The suspects stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire on police members,' police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said. 'Officers returned fire in self-defence, resulting in the fatal shooting of all six suspects.' She said on Tuesday that formal identification of the bodies had not yet been completed. One of the men who died appeared in court two months ago on charges of extortion and intimidation within the taxi industry and was released on bail of R1,500. He was sought by the team investigating taxi violence in the province. Transport and community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha expressed shock at the fatal shooting, which occurred on the R61 road between Mthatha and Ngcobo. Nqatha has warned residents that police will not tolerate lawlessness. 'We have learnt with shock the fatal shooting of the six suspects allegedly involved in extortion. The incident is taking place as SAPS are working tirelessly to combat crime in the province. Police can arrest or stop anyone, regardless of their position or status, if they have committed a crime and will defend themselves when attacked,' Nqatha added. The police remained on the scene on Monday night, conducting forensic investigations and processing evidence. Firearms recovered from the suspects will undergo ballistic analysis. While not identifying the taxi boss as one of the deceased in the shootout directly, the office of the Abathembu King, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, said on Monday night that he wanted to make it clear that the taxi boss – whose name is known to Daily Maverick – did not have legal standing as a traditional leader in Mthatha West. He said the high court had confirmed this in 2023. Dalindyebo had dismissed him as a headman of Mthatha West in 2023 and interdicts, brought by the taxi boss, were dismissed. He explained that individuals were using the 'cover' of being a traditional leader as a way to extort money from residents. Dalindyebo continued that the taxi boss was not a chief and after the death of Dalinzolo 'Sakie' Mareke, who was also not recognised as a traditional leader in Mthatha West, the Abethembu Kingdom had warned that criminal elements 'will be dealt with'. Mareke was shot in similar circumstances in Mthatha in September 2024, also by the police's National Intervention Unit. Mareke and his bodyguards had gone to the unit's headquarters in Mthatha after they learnt that the police had searched his house as part of an ongoing extortion investigation. Dalindyebo suggested that Mareke was involved in an extortion scheme involving the proceeds of a cellphone network tower at Laphum'ikhwezi Primary School. Mareke in turn held a meeting to raise money to sue the king for defamation. Dalindyebo expressed his gratitude to the National Intervention Unit, and ended his warning to extortionists in the area with the words: Desist now. The United Taxi Association of Mthatha also confirmed that six people, including the taxi boss, had been killed in the shootout. DM
Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Manganese carrier truck driver held for allegedly trying to bribe Eastern Cape traffic officer
The driver of a manganese carrier truck was pulled off on the N10 in the Eastern Cape just outside Cookhouse on Friday, after he allegedly offered a traffic officer a bribe when she pulled him over for driving an unroadworthy vehicle. A young Eastern Cape traffic officer refused an alleged bribe of R1,500 by a manganese truck driver after she pulled the vehicle off the road for being in a dangerous condition. Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, said the woman who arrested the driver was a young traffic officer recruited only in December last year. He said the truck, which was registered in the Northern Cape, was in a dangerous condition. Binqose confirmed that the truck was a manganese carrier. 'It was deemed a moving hazard with various defects ranging from a loose steering rack, loose wiring in the cabin and tyres that were [in poor] condition,' he said. He said the driver had offered the officer a R1,500 bribe, which she refused. She then proceeded to arrest the driver. Eastern Cape Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha applauded the officer for her 'act of bravery and absolute patriotism', putting public safety over personal gain. He said her actions would save lives. History of crashes 'The N10 road has seen a lot of crashes involving trucks with defects like this one, not only claiming lives, but also resulting in lengthy road closures,' Binqose said. In February 2024, a traffic officer, Sisanda Hadi, was knocked over and killed when she tried to pull over a manganese truck at the Kinkelbos weighbridge on the N2. In September 2023, about 17km before Cookhouse, a manganese carrier crashed into the vehicle of Middelburg businessman Calla Perry, killing him. The number of heavy trucks on the N10 passing Cradock has increased from 5,795 in 2021/22 to an estimated 15,000 trucks in the 2023/2024 financial year, according to information provided by Nqatha to the Eastern Cape Legislature. Manganese is transported by truck from mines in the Northern Cape and exported, mainly through the Port of Port Elizabeth in Gqeberha, where Transnet houses its main export facility for manganese in South Africa. In the past month, there have been at least two serious incidents involving heavy trucks on the N10. Two weeks ago, authorities had to struggle for eight hours to clear the wreckage and reopen the route after the N10 between Cookhouse and Nxuba [Cradock] was closed following a head-on collision involving two trucks. Last year, Nqatha said spot checks along the N10 were part of a road safety strategy. 'Corridor operations are conducted every month in collaboration with Northern Cape, focusing on heavy road freight. Multidisciplinary roadblocks are also conducted each quarter, focusing on heavy trucks. 'Traffic officers are deployed on a daily basis to patrol the N9 and N10, routes the heavy trucks are travelling. Speed measuring is conducted in certain spots on the N9 and N10 routes,' Nqatha said in response to a question in the Eastern Cape Legislature. DM
