GEORGE NEWS - The investigation into the murder of local taxi owner and Uncedo George chairman, Sikhumbuzo Mini (52) is at a very sensitive stage, police said this week. No one has been arrested and police are offering a substantial reward for any information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect(s) and a successful prosecution.
Mini was gunned down outside his house on Thursday 3 November after returning from a meeting at the Thembalethu taxi rank at about 22:00. It is alleged that he was shot 18 times.
Rumours are rife that two men opened fire on Mini.
The George Herald asked the police for information regarding the ballistics test results, which will indicate what type and how many firearms were used, but Captain Malcolm Pojie, the Southern Cape police spokesperson, yesterday said they have not received the results. "We have several positive leads that we are following up."
Anyone with information can contact Sgt JJ Maton at 073 046 8482 and Sgt C Pypers 073 577 1998.
Mini's death came a week after the announcement that the GO GEORGE bus service would be rolled out in Thembalethu on 11 December.
The local taxi association, Uncedo, has vowed to stage a series of protests until their demands to compete with the buses on all the routes in George are met. Alternatively they want the negotiation process re-opened in order to secure more money for their taxi operating permits.
The anti-Go GEORGE protest march by disgruntled taxi owners and drivers yesterday did not take place as planned.
Cornelius Esau spokesperson of Uncedo George said they had on Sunday decided to postpone the march as Uncedo branches from the Eastern Cape and elsewhere would like to join them.
"We informed law enforcement at the George municipality of our decision on Monday 21 November and then also submitted a request to march on 7 December," said Esau.
In a statement municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said permission has not been granted for the protest march requested for Wednesday 23 November.
The taxi association last week again called on government to stop "undermining the taxi industry and to honour the current mediation process" before the introduction of GO GEORGE in Thembalethu.
Esau said that at the protest on 7 December they will "reveal to the world why Mini was killed in a hail of bullets".
Click here for previous articles:
- Hundreds attend taxi association chairman's memorial
- Memorial service for taxi association chairman
- Killers came guns blazing
- Taxi association chairman family devastated by killing
- Update: Taxi association chairman shot & killed
- Update: Taxi association chairman killed
- Taxi association chairman shot and killed
ARTICLE: LIZETTE DA SILVA, GEORGE HERALD NEWS EDITOR
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