The Gauteng Provincial Government has reaffirmed its commitment to finding the people responsible for the death of Taxify cab driver Siyabonga Ngcobo.
“We will make sure that whoever is behind this gruesome murder is [found and] arrested… They must be punished. We won’t rest until those responsible are arrested,” Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said on Wednesday.
She was briefing the media, together with Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi, following their visit the Ngcobo family in Centurion.
Last week, the burnt body of Ngcobo was found in the boot of a car in Sunnyside, Pretoria.
“We are shocked as the Gauteng government that a person can just take someone’s life. This boy was showing signs of being a good citizen. He was a student…his family was hoping that he would contribute to bettering his life, as well as the life of his family,” MEC Nkosi-Malobane said.
She said she has instructed investigators working on the case to update the family on the developments.
Dealing with rogue elements
MEC Vadi said with the National Land Transport Amendment Bill before Parliament, provision is being made for the recognition of e-hailing services and that they should be registered under the meter taxi category.
“From our department, we have taken a clear policy decision that Uber and Taxify … have to apply for operating licences. We have already received about 1 500 applications from Uber and we are also sitting with thousands of applications from Uber drivers,” he said.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is processing the applications with the municipalities.
MEC Vadi said he suspects that a new group of people are operating as meter taxi drivers illegally.
“As the Gauteng Provincial Government, we must draw a line... This violence has been going on for quite some time between Uber, Taxify and meter taxi drivers and people think they can do what they want.
“We don’t know who the suspects are but should the evidence point in the direction of [meter taxis], if we have to shut down all operations with meter taxis in the province, we will do that. We can’t carry on like this,” he said.
MEC Vadi described the murder as a despicable act, saying it was nothing but a barbaric act of criminality.
“We can’t have barbaric behaviour become the new norm to resolve a business dispute… It’s a commercial interest matter,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Ngcobo family, Nosipho Mathenjwa thanked the MECs for the support that they have given to the family.
Mathenjwa said she hopes that what happened to Ngcobo will never happen to another family again. – SAnews.gov.za
