Taxi death squads behind shootings

MAFIA-LIKE operations, a cabal called the House of Elders and the alleged misappropriation of millions of rands have been linked to the death of at least 12 men involved in the Port Elizabeth and District Taxi Association (Pedta).

In an attempt to put pressure on the authorities to get to the bottom of the executions that to date have seen no successful arrests, concerned colleagues, family and friends have spoken out.

Six taxi operators, including two who survived attempts on their lives, all of them Pedta members, as well as the families of four dead taxi operators and a taxi association official said the hits – some as far back as 2008 – were linked to:

• The Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS), now the Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS), dating back to preparations before the 2010 Fifa World Cup;

• The allocation of the Uitenhage and Humansdorp routes;

• The alleged disappearance of more than R3.7-million in membership fees meant for the operation of Pedta; and

• Funds from the IPTS-linked venture, Laphumilanga, paid to the wrong taxi operators.

In a veiled threat last week, a Herald reporter was also warned by a taxi operator that for her own safety she should not delve into the reason behind the deaths because it "could get dangerous".

It was reported by taxi operators and families of the victims last week that the dead included men who were outspoken and knew too much or those who had benefited from the missing funds.

"Some of the money that the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality gave to Laphumilanga for the Pedta executive to distribute as compensation to Summerstrand taxi operators was not spent properly," one taxi operator alleged at the weekend.

He asked not to be named for fear of his life. - Hendrick Mphande and Yoliswa Sobuwa.