A 34-year-old taxi owner was shot dead inside his silver Hilux bakkie (pick-up truck) and a 41-year-old man was rushed to hospital after gunmen opened fire on them in Bloekombos, Kraaifontein, on Monday night.
The deceased has been identified as Mawande Ndinisa, the owner of Ndinisa Trans, a long-distance taxi business that operated routes to Maclear, Mount Fletcher, Tsolo, Matatiele, and Katkop in the Eastern Cape.
The second victim, who is also understood to be a taxi owner, survived the attack and was taken to Kraaifontein Day Hospital for medical treatment.
‘One had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head’
According to police, the shooting took place on Mongondia Street just before 10pm on Monday, 2 November.
A neighbour who heard the gunfire and asked to remain anonymous described the terrifying moments when the ambush unfolded.
“I was at home when I heard the gunshots. Shortly afterwards, the gunmen fled the scene in a vehicle,” the resident said.
When the neighbour went outside to check what had happened, they were met with a grim scene.
“I went to the scene, where I found the two male victims. One had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head and upper body, while the other had been shot in the arm,” the neighbour recalled.
The resident also claimed there was a long wait for emergency responders following the shooting.
“About three hours later, the ambulance arrived at the scene, and the police arrived 25 minutes later,” she said, adding that Ndinisa’s transport operations reached well beyond Kraaifontein.
Police launch manhunt as family reels from shock
Western Cape police spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana confirmed that detectives are investigating a case of murder.
“Kraaifontein SAPS has opened a murder case following a shooting incident that occurred at Mongondia Street, Bloekombos, Kraaifontein on Monday, 2 November at around 10pm,” Mpendukana said. “Unknown gunmen shot and killed a 34-year-old male victim inside his vehicle.”
She added that the 41-year-old survivor remains in hospital receiving treatment, while the gunmen are still at large.
“The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are currently under investigation, and no arrest has been made yet,” Mpendukana said.
Meanwhile, Ndinisa’s loved ones are struggling to come to terms with his sudden killing and are waiting for answers from the police.
“We don’t have any details of what happened yesterday. We are still shocked as a family, so at this stage we are still waiting for the SAPS to do the investigation,” the family stated.