Cops are investigating the murder of a second Delft taxi man who was gunned down on Tuesday morning as he arrived at the rank.
Fundile Tebeka, 46, was shot in the chest on Owen Madikane Street.
A relative, who refused to be named, says the father of three was driving taxis on the Delft/Bellville route.
“He left home early on Tuesday morning to be first in the queue. I heard that he came out of his van and then three suspects got there and started shooting,” the relative explains.
“When I arrived at the scene, he was already dead.”
The man adds that the family doesn’t know why Fundile was killed.
“I can’t say if this shooting is about the taxi war. I don’t know why he was shot but it was not a robbery. He still had his possessions on him and he had not yet made money.”
South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) spokesperson Gershon Geyer insists that the shooting is not related to the ongoing taxi violence.
“We believe that it’s not taxi-related. We want to give our condolences to the family of the driver,” he says.
Following an agreement between warring taxi associations Cata and Codeta in August last year, Transport MEC Daylin Mitchells said any associations found to be involved in industry-related violence would be suspended or deregistered.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder.
“The shooting took place at approximately 4.25am at Owen Madikane Street, Delft, and is under investigation,” he says.
“According to reports, members of Delft responded to a shooting incident where they found the body of a 46-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his chest.
“He was declared deceased by paramedics.
“The motive surrounding this incident is yet to be determined and no arrests have been made. A murder case has been registered for investigation.”
This is the second taxi driver to be shot this month operating on the Delft/Bellville route.
On 3 March, Bellville Taxi Association (CataBellta) acting chairperson Mandithini Ketye was shot and killed as he was driving to his Blikkiesdorp home.
At the time, witnesses said two men walked next to the victim’s car, fired shots and then casually walked away. He was reportedly robbed of a bag of cash.