The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) has distanced itself from the recent incident at Nyanga taxi rank, where two individuals lost their lives and five others were injured in what the police suspect to be a vigilante attack.
Reports indicate that following the assault, the taxi drivers allegedly placed the two deceased and three additional injured individuals into a Toyota Avanza, subsequently abandoning them near the Mkhonto informal settlement.
Also read: Alleged vigilante attack kills two men and seriously injures five in Nyanga
According to City Vision, Nkululeko Sityebi, the spokesperson for CATA, vehemently refuted any allegations connecting the association to the recent attack. Sityebi clarified that he was not present at the taxi rank on Wednesday, distancing himself and the organisation from the incident.
‘I did not hear anything like that. I was not at the taxi rank on Wednesday, but I believe if there was such a thing, they would have informed me,’ said Sityebi.
According to Dumisani Qwebe, secretary of the Nyanga Community Policing Forum, the two deceased and three other injured people were dumped near the rubbish container at Mkhonto by an Avanza.
In addition, two more injured victims were reportedly abandoned at the taxi rank, according to Qwebe.
Qwebe clarified that the victims involved in the incident, including the deceased individuals, hailed from Crossroads. Furthermore, he emphasised that the motive behind the event remained unknown.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa officially confirmed the incident, affirming that the provincial detectives had taken immediate action by initiating a case of murder and attempted murder.
Potelwa confirmed that an assault had taken place at the Nyanga taxi rank, affecting a total of seven victims.
According to City Vision, Potelwa clarified that the incident resulted in the deaths of two men, aged 23 and 26. Five other victims, between the ages of 15 and 27, sustained serious injuries and are currently in critical condition at a nearby hospital.
Potelwa stated that the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, and detectives are actively following up on all leads to gather more information.
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Picture: Ngcali Alexa Magopeni / Unsplash