Nine arrested for fatal Fordsburg taxi-related shooting

Nine suspects were arrested on Monday in connection with the fatal taxi-related shooting that happened in Fordsburg which claimed the life of a person.

Captain Kay Makhubele, police spokesperson said the shooting happened on Monday afternoon.

“Police on Monday afternoon responded to a shooting incident.”

Makhubele said police were notified about the shooting that had just taken place in Fordsburg.

The Highway Patrol and Crime Prevention teams were dispatched to search for the suspects.

“Swift response by police led to the arrest of nine suspects following a taxi-related shooting incident in Fordburg.”

Makhubele said police also recovered three firearms.

“Five patrol cars a taxi association were damaged while one person was shot. The person was declared dead on the scene.”

According to Makhubele nine suspects that matched the description of the suspects were spotted. They ran away on foot.

Police stopped them and they were arrested.

“Upon searching the suspects’ car, police recovered three firearms. These firearms will be taken for ballistic to establish whether or not they may have been used in the commission of other crimes.”

Makhubele said the suspects will be charged with murder and possession of unlicensed firearms.

READ: Taxi Murder latest: Cele unveils plan to solve KZN cases

“They will further be profiled to determine if they are not linked to other crimes, especially the taxi violence-related crimes.”

Police have recently had their hands full with taxi-related shootings across the country.

In Verulam, Kwazulu-Natal, a 26-year-old man was shot and killed inside a minibus taxi last week.

Meanwhile Western Cape EMS officials were shot at while tending to a critically injured patient in the attack at a Ceres taxi rank last week. This happened last week on Tuesday morning.

READ: Killed in cold blood: KZN taxi boss gunned down by assailant

Police Minister Bheki Cele has also announced that a team of police investigators will step in to work on solving the string of taxi related murders.

Cele’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said a total of 12 people have been killed in KwaNongoma since 2012 in murders connected to taxi disputes.

Cele made the announcement at a crime prevention imbizo in the area on Friday, last week.