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Inquiry into May shooting of Walter Sisulu University students may subpoena taxi boss

Inquiry into May shooting of Walter Sisulu University students may subpoena taxi boss
Estelle Ellis
By Estelle Ellis
14 Aug 2024
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The students were allegedly shot with live ammunition by law enforcement and security personnel during a protest on the N2 near Mthatha that coincided with a demonstration by a taxi association.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will consider issuing a subpoena to a Mthatha taxi boss who has refused to appear before an inquiry to provide an account of a chaotic protest on 27 May during which Walter Sisulu University students were allegedly shot with live ammunition.

The Eastern Cape chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), Zola Yolelo, said that after he had received a notice from the SAHRC to appear before the inquiry, he had consulted with the leaders of the local structures who were present in Mthatha on the day of the strike.

“They all gave me different versions of events,” he said, adding that some denied being part of the strike or present on the day.

Yolelo told the inquiry that the representative of the Mthatha Taxi Association, whom he did not name, said if the SAHRC wanted to talk to him they could write to him in person.

“I advised him that when the commission wrote to Santaco, it included him, but he refused,” said Yolelo.

“We will consider whether to subpoena the chairperson of the Mthatha Taxi Association. We do need to hear from them,” said the inquiry chairperson, Professor Tshepo Madlingozi.

N2 strikes


On Tuesday, the inquiry heard that in May, Walter Sisulu University students in Mthatha protested against the non-payment of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) stipends for accommodation and transport. It was alleged that security guards pepper-sprayed and shot at students taking part in a peaceful protest on campus.

Read more: Mthatha students claim police shot at them with live ammunition during chaotic protest on N2 in May

They then staged a protest on the N2 on Monday, 27 May, burning tyres and forcing the closure of a section of the highway. 

Their protest coincided with one by the Border Taxi Association on the same stretch of highway. The taxi association was protesting against the recent confiscation by the police of firearms from its members.

While both groups were protesting, students were shot with what they told the inquiry was live ammunition.

Read more: Defence force deployed, premier vows to probe taxi violence after calm returns to Mthatha and N2

Requests for delays


The police and Walter Sisulu University asked for postponements to present their evidence to the inquiry, saying they had not had enough time to prepare. 

Bongani Hanise from the Mthatha State Attorney’s office acted for the police. 

“These are serious allegations faced by the police,” he said. “Mthatha was in a chaotic situation. Not only was there a student strike, but also taxi violence.

Read more: Taxi violence surge — Mthatha blocked off as gunshots heard, people warned to stay indoors

“It may seem to the public that this is just a delay of the process,” Hanise said. “It is not just a flimsy application. It is based on facts.” 

He said the police officials to whom the SAHRC correspondence was addressed were busy with Operation Shanela, a nationwide police operation to combat crime. 

The provincial head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Bongiwe Tukela, told the inquiry they had received two notifications of police weapons fired on 27 May — at the Walter Sisulu University Campus in Mthatha and on the N2 near the town. DM

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