Terror in the taxi: Driver shot dead in his van before crashing into a bus

A 60-year-old taxi driver was shot dead in his van in full view of passengers who were being transported to work.

Tony Africa, who had been driving along the Plain/Park route for decades, was gunned down on the corner of Duinefontein and Govan Mbeki intersections on Thursday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver stopped to pick up someone who posed as a passenger but turned out to be the shooter.

A reliable source said that the shooter got in, before shooting Africa, killing him instantly. The gunman then jumped out and fled on foot.

Africa lost control of the vehicle, which slammed into a bus. The impact left two passengers critically injured.

Chairperson of the Plain/Park Taxi Association, Shareef Edwards, said he received a call after 6am telling him to come to the scene.

“I immediately contacted the chairperson of Cata because the day before we heard that some taxis were parking along our route, but he assured me that they had nothing to do with it.

“The policeman on the scene also said it’s taxi-related but I can also confirm we have no issues.”

Cata spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi told the Daily Voice that he was not aware of any issues between the two associations.

Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said a case of murder has been registered at Philippi SAPS, but will be transferred to the Provincial Taxi Violence Unit for further investigation.

“The members found a taxi which collided into the rear of a bus,” he explained.

“The taxi driver died of a gunshot wound to the head and two of his passengers were injured as a result of the impact of the collision.

“They were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.”

Africa’s family were too traumatised to comment and Edwards described him as a “gentleman with a kind heart”.

“He was peaceful, he always had a smile on his face, it was a shock to us and we don’t know why someone would shoot him.”

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