Taxi boss gunned down at busy Dunoon taxi rank

Gunmen armed with a semi-automatic weapon shot and killed two men and seriously wounded another on the corner of Dumani and Potsdam Road opposite the Dunoon Public Transport Interchange at midday on Thursday 9 June, according to an eyewitness. 

One of the men killed was a taxi boss with the Dunoon Taxi Association (DTA).

DTA deputy chair Howard Ngcongco identified him as Odwa Ntontela, aged 43.

A vendor at the taxi rank who witnessed the shooting and asked not to be named, fearing for his safety, said the shooting happened in broad daylight in full view of bystanders including children.

The vendor said he saw two men wearing caps approach an unmarked vehicle in which three people were sitting. They opened fire with semi-automatic weapons, causing people to scream and dive for cover. The men were not even wearing masks. They then walked off in the direction of Doornbach informal settlement.

At the time of the shooting the Dunoon Public Transport Interchange was bustling with commuters waiting to board taxis and people shopping along Potsdam Road.

“I have never seen anything like that. It is bad what happened, seeing someone being killed and no one helping to save them,” said the vendor.

Ngcongco said the DTA is shocked by the incident. What prompted the shooting is unknown he said. “We condemn the shooting. We are traumatised completely. We feel unsafe,” he said.

He said the DTA has 84 members. Ntontela started his career in the industry as a taxi driver in 2001, becoming a taxi owner in 2006.

Western Cape provincial police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk confirmed the shooting. The three victims were aged from their mid-30s to their late 40s. The incident is being investigated by the SAPS Taxi Violence Unit.

“A 36-year-old suspect was arrested on the same day shortly before midnight on charges of murder and attempted murder,” said Van Wyk. DM

First published by GroundUp.