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Taxi violence: SA's never-ending war
The workings of the taxi mafia and its hitmen were pushed into the spotlight recently following the court appearance of five of the seven men accused of the 2023 murder of celebrated rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes and his friend, businessman Tebello "Tibz" Motsoane.
Two of the other suspects fled to Eswatini, where they were arrested. They have appeared in court as part of South Africa's bid to have them extradited.
The seven men represent all tiers of KwaZulu-Natal's seasoned taxi hitman industry - from alleged spotters to suspected shooters, and even an alleged coordinator.
The accused reportedly received R800 000 for the hit, which was distributed among them.
In this week's Friday Briefing, we take a deep dive into the murky world of taxi violence.
News24's in-depth writer Muhammad Hussain analyses answers he got from the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) with answers he got from the police, researchers and the 2021 commission of inquiry into Gauteng's taxi violence to better understand issues plaguing the industry.
We also have a contribution from the president of Santaco, Motlhabane Abnar Tsebe.
Hope you enjoy the read.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
To tackle taxi killings, police must target gun violence
The web of relationships that underpin lethal violence in the taxi industry is interconnected with other networks of organised crime and with the broad problem of gun violence, argues David Bruce.
Taxi violence a combination of route battles, lack of formalisation and policing
In this in-depth analysis, Muhammad Hussain asked South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) a few questions relating to taxi violence - some in general and some specifically related to the organisation. To the general responses received we supplemented these with analysis from the police, researchers and the 2021 commission of inquiry into Gauteng's taxi violence to get a better sense and scope of the issues within the industry.
Continued taxi violence necessitates heightened action by law enforcement
The taxi industry's efforts have to be closely aligned with a heightened strategy from law enforcement to clean out all criminality to create a business service that is solely focused on the safe commuting of passengers, writes Motlhabane Abnar Tsebe.
Dangerous routes: Unraveling govt's struggle to formalise SA's taxi Industry
A close examination of the government's relationship with the taxi industry reveals a complex web of factors contributing to regulatory shortcomings and the perpetuation of violence, writes Siyabulela Fobosi.
