All Article Properties:
{
"access_control": false,
"status": "publish",
"objectType": "Article",
"id": "2070457",
"signature": "Article:2070457",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-26-nyanga-cop-due-to-testify-against-cape-town-taxi-boss-gunned-down-in-apparent-hit/",
"shorturl": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2070457",
"slug": "nyanga-cop-due-to-testify-against-cape-town-taxi-boss-gunned-down-in-apparent-hit",
"contentType": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Article",
"slug": "article"
},
"views": 0,
"comments": 1,
"preview_limit": null,
"excludedFromGoogleSearchEngine": 0,
"title": "Nyanga cop due to testify against Cape Town taxi boss gunned down in apparent hit",
"firstPublished": "2024-02-26 23:37:37",
"lastUpdate": "2024-02-26 23:37:37",
"categories": [
{
"id": "29",
"name": "South Africa",
"signature": "Category:29",
"slug": "south-africa",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/south-africa/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "Daily Maverick is an independent online news publication and weekly print newspaper in South Africa.\r\n\r\nIt is known for breaking some of the defining stories of South Africa in the past decade, including the Marikana Massacre, in which the South African Police Service killed 34 miners in August 2012.\r\n\r\nIt also investigated the Gupta Leaks, which won the 2019 Global Shining Light Award.\r\n\r\nThat investigation was credited with exposing the Indian-born Gupta family and former President Jacob Zuma for their role in the systemic political corruption referred to as state capture.\r\n\r\nIn 2018, co-founder and editor-in-chief Branislav ‘Branko’ Brkic was awarded the country’s prestigious Nat Nakasa Award, recognised for initiating the investigative collaboration after receiving the hard drive that included the email tranche.\r\n\r\nIn 2021, co-founder and CEO Styli Charalambous also received the award.\r\n\r\nDaily Maverick covers the latest political and news developments in South Africa with breaking news updates, analysis, opinions and more.",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
},
{
"id": "387188",
"name": "Maverick News",
"signature": "Category:387188",
"slug": "maverick-news",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/maverick-news/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
}
],
"content_length": 3821,
"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A police officer from Nyanga who was scheduled to testify at the trial of high-profile Cape Town taxi boss Bonke Makalala, who is facing charges including murder, has been killed in an apparent hit. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, 25 February, the officer was one of two people killed near the corner of Masemola and Myesa streets in Masiphumelele on Kommetjie Road at around 6pm.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcom Pojie confirmed that one of the victims was a policeman.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Pojie said the</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shooting is being investigated by the Hawks.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday, a source close to the investigation told</span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Daily Maverick</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the murdered officer, who was stationed at Nyanga Police Station, was meant to testify against taxi boss Bonke Makalala. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Western Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi said that “the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">] </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is not aware of the deceased being a witness or testifying in a court matter. The taxi-related matters are investigated by the SAPS Provincial Organised Crime. Please contact them on this matter.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masiphumelele is one of the hotspots being investigated by the provincial Taxi Task Unit’s Combat Team as part of its probe into taxi-related murders.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 24 August 2023, police arrested a suspect in connection with a triple murder that was committed in Khayelitsha in December 2022. The suspect was charged with a separate murder in Masiphumelele in June 2023, as well as a house robbery in the nearby Ocean View suburb.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/img_8052/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979407\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_8052.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"424\" /></a> <em>Bonke Makalala, who was identified as a 'wanted taxi boss’, appears in the Athlone Magistrates' Court on 14 December 2023. (Photo: Samane Junior Marks)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala was arrested in December 2023 </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the posh Pretoria suburb of Silver Lakes. The taxi boss was wanted in connection with a string of crimes. He is a member of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly after his arrest, Makalala appeared in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court and the matter was transferred to the Wynberg Regional Court. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala is facing six charges relating to offences dating back to 2018. They include a charge of </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">murder and two of attempted murder connected to an incident in which taxi owner Masixole Batwali was shot and killed in 2019 in Old Crossroads, Nyanga.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-14-taxi-boss-bonke-makalala-appears-in-cape-town-court-facing-multiple-charges/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Taxi boss Bonke Makalala appears in Cape Town court facing multiple charges.”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police have also opened a case against him for allegedly impersonating a police officer after he was </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-14-taxi-boss-bonke-makalala-appears-in-cape-town-court-facing-multiple-charges/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">caught on video driving a police vehicle</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in July this year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police officers Masixole Ngangelwa (35) and Yolisa Ngomso (25) have already appeared in the Simon’s Town Magistrates’ Court as part of an investigation into illicit activities involving Makalala.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pair, who are based at the Nyanga Police Station, allegedly allowed Makalala to make unauthorised use of a state vehicle. Both were released on R2,000 bail.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-20-cape-town-cops-in-the-dock-for-letting-taxi-boss-use-a-police-van/?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two Cape Town cops in the dock for letting taxi boss use police van</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala’s</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> name also cropped up in the</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fourth quarter crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on 16 February. Makalala was mentioned in a section titled, </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Construction Mafia”. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cele confirmed that Makalala was arrested in December 2023 for involvement in </span><a href=\"https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=51362\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">activities related to taxi violence</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-18-sa-murder-rate-up-sexual-offences-decline-police-crack-down-on-construction-mafias-cele/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SA murder rate up, sexual offences decline, police crack down on construction mafias – Cele</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala’s </span><a href=\"https://www.dailyvoice.co.za/western-cape/taxi-ous-bail-put-on-hold-878f3253-b7a3-40a2-a5e3-d10e35842c89\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bail application was heard</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> earlier this month in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutor Nico Breyl made damning allegations that Makalala had attempted to bribe officials while in custody in Malmesbury. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case was postponed after both the defence and the state indicated that they had new evidence to present. </span><b>DM</b>",
"teaser": "Nyanga cop due to testify against Cape Town taxi boss gunned down in apparent hit",
"externalUrl": "",
"sponsor": null,
"authors": [
{
"id": "45139",
"name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"image": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/17aa6aac-08b8-4a0d-a138-2db14f4caefa.jpg",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/author/vincent-cruywagen-2/",
"editorialName": "vincent-cruywagen-2",
"department": "",
"name_latin": ""
}
],
"description": "",
"keywords": [
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "4889",
"name": "Hawks",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/hawks/",
"slug": "hawks",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Hawks",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "6515",
"name": "Bheki Cele",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/bheki-cele/",
"slug": "bheki-cele",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Bheki Cele",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "7047",
"name": "Masiphumelele",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/masiphumelele/",
"slug": "masiphumelele",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Masiphumelele",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "384907",
"name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/vincent-cruywagen/",
"slug": "vincent-cruywagen",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "388039",
"name": "taxi wars",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/taxi-wars/",
"slug": "taxi-wars",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "taxi wars",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "413203",
"name": "Bonke Makalala",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/bonke-makalala/",
"slug": "bonke-makalala",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Bonke Makalala",
"translations": null
}
}
],
"short_summary": null,
"source": null,
"related": [],
"options": [],
"attachments": [
{
"id": "34403",
"name": "Bonke Makalala who was identified as the 'wanted taxi boss' appeared at Athlone Magistrate court on Thursday 14 December. He was arrested in connection with a string of crimes. (Photo: Samane Junior Marks)",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A police officer from Nyanga who was scheduled to testify at the trial of high-profile Cape Town taxi boss Bonke Makalala, who is facing charges including murder, has been killed in an apparent hit. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, 25 February, the officer was one of two people killed near the corner of Masemola and Myesa streets in Masiphumelele on Kommetjie Road at around 6pm.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcom Pojie confirmed that one of the victims was a policeman.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Pojie said the</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shooting is being investigated by the Hawks.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday, a source close to the investigation told</span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Daily Maverick</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the murdered officer, who was stationed at Nyanga Police Station, was meant to testify against taxi boss Bonke Makalala. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Western Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi said that “the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">] </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is not aware of the deceased being a witness or testifying in a court matter. The taxi-related matters are investigated by the SAPS Provincial Organised Crime. Please contact them on this matter.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masiphumelele is one of the hotspots being investigated by the provincial Taxi Task Unit’s Combat Team as part of its probe into taxi-related murders.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 24 August 2023, police arrested a suspect in connection with a triple murder that was committed in Khayelitsha in December 2022. The suspect was charged with a separate murder in Masiphumelele in June 2023, as well as a house robbery in the nearby Ocean View suburb.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1979407\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"720\"]<a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/img_8052/\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1979407\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_8052.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"424\" /></a> <em>Bonke Makalala, who was identified as a 'wanted taxi boss’, appears in the Athlone Magistrates' Court on 14 December 2023. (Photo: Samane Junior Marks)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala was arrested in December 2023 </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the posh Pretoria suburb of Silver Lakes. The taxi boss was wanted in connection with a string of crimes. He is a member of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly after his arrest, Makalala appeared in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court and the matter was transferred to the Wynberg Regional Court. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala is facing six charges relating to offences dating back to 2018. They include a charge of </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">murder and two of attempted murder connected to an incident in which taxi owner Masixole Batwali was shot and killed in 2019 in Old Crossroads, Nyanga.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-14-taxi-boss-bonke-makalala-appears-in-cape-town-court-facing-multiple-charges/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Taxi boss Bonke Makalala appears in Cape Town court facing multiple charges.”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police have also opened a case against him for allegedly impersonating a police officer after he was </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-14-taxi-boss-bonke-makalala-appears-in-cape-town-court-facing-multiple-charges/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">caught on video driving a police vehicle</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in July this year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police officers Masixole Ngangelwa (35) and Yolisa Ngomso (25) have already appeared in the Simon’s Town Magistrates’ Court as part of an investigation into illicit activities involving Makalala.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pair, who are based at the Nyanga Police Station, allegedly allowed Makalala to make unauthorised use of a state vehicle. Both were released on R2,000 bail.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-20-cape-town-cops-in-the-dock-for-letting-taxi-boss-use-a-police-van/?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two Cape Town cops in the dock for letting taxi boss use police van</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala’s</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> name also cropped up in the</span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fourth quarter crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on 16 February. Makalala was mentioned in a section titled, </span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Construction Mafia”. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cele confirmed that Makalala was arrested in December 2023 for involvement in </span><a href=\"https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=51362\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">activities related to taxi violence</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more in Daily Maverick</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-18-sa-murder-rate-up-sexual-offences-decline-police-crack-down-on-construction-mafias-cele/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SA murder rate up, sexual offences decline, police crack down on construction mafias – Cele</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makalala’s </span><a href=\"https://www.dailyvoice.co.za/western-cape/taxi-ous-bail-put-on-hold-878f3253-b7a3-40a2-a5e3-d10e35842c89\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bail application was heard</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> earlier this month in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutor Nico Breyl made damning allegations that Makalala had attempted to bribe officials while in custody in Malmesbury. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case was postponed after both the defence and the state indicated that they had new evidence to present. </span><b>DM</b>",
"focal": "50% 50%",
"width": 0,
"height": 0,
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"transforms": [
{
"x": "200",
"y": "100",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/1UyzOda4zHwK1isN0pzrztz_h14=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg"
},
{
"x": "450",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/wHtleNHlMrlnd8KmJFS5H3GWMmo=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg"
},
{
"x": "800",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/nrumdX_xztj5BDX8BgHLN5fKknk=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1200",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/t6OeZ73skPQqqO-0T2Q3gwI-yZw=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1600",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/sX4aytyhQZiIlymNcM9A3c4eAB0=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg"
}
],
"url_thumbnail": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/1UyzOda4zHwK1isN0pzrztz_h14=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"url_medium": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/wHtleNHlMrlnd8KmJFS5H3GWMmo=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"url_large": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/nrumdX_xztj5BDX8BgHLN5fKknk=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"url_xl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/t6OeZ73skPQqqO-0T2Q3gwI-yZw=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"url_xxl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/sX4aytyhQZiIlymNcM9A3c4eAB0=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mitchells-Plain-Base-Camp22.jpg",
"type": "image"
}
],
"summary": "Cape Town’s taxi wars appear to have claimed another victim, this time a policeman who was shot dead in Masiphumelele on the South Peninsula.\r\n",
"template_type": null,
"dm_custom_section_label": null,
"elements": [],
"seo": {
"search_title": "Nyanga cop due to testify against Cape Town taxi boss gunned down in apparent hit",
"search_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A police officer from Nyanga who was scheduled to testify at the trial of high-profile Cape Town taxi boss Bonke Makalala, who is facing charges including murder, has b",
"social_title": "Nyanga cop due to testify against Cape Town taxi boss gunned down in apparent hit",
"social_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A police officer from Nyanga who was scheduled to testify at the trial of high-profile Cape Town taxi boss Bonke Makalala, who is facing charges including murder, has b",
"social_image": ""
},
"cached": true,
"access_allowed": true
} 
Bonke Makalala, who was identified as a 'wanted taxi boss’, appears in the Athlone Magistrates' Court on 14 December 2023. (Photo: Samane Junior Marks)