LWANDLE – Authorities have confirmed the 42-year-old man murdered in a suspected taxi violence-related shooting in Asanda Village on Thursday 4 September was an off-duty police officer.
The man, who has been identified as Desmond Mandlevu, was apparently also a taxi operator and a high-ranking member of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata).
The fatal shooting occurred in Mgidlana Street at 09:45. Mandlevu was driving a white Kia Picanto when an unknown gunman opened fire on him, fatally wounding the victim in his upper body, confirmed provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie.
“The gunshot wound caused the deceased to lose control, and the vehicle crashed to a halt when it hit the fence of a residence,” he added. “The suspects are yet to be arrested.”
The violence stems from deadly route dispute between Cata and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), which has plagued the Helderberg, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Philippi-East over the past couple of months.
A reliable source told DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette that Mandlevu had previously been stationed at Makhaza Police Station in Khayelitsha. Rumours that he had been absent without official leave since May 2024 have been doing the rounds, but Pojie said provincial police cannot comment on these allegations.
The spokesperson also declined to comment on reports that Mandlevu was a taxi owner, citing this information is part of the ongoing investigation.
According to Section 13(1)(d) of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA), police officers, their spouses and immediate family members, are prohibited from directly being involved in or having any financial interest in the public transport industry.
Meanwhile, Cata spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi confirmed the deceased was secretary of the organisation’s Lwandle Chapter from 2022 to 2024. “We have lost a good administrator and our organisation is weaker due to this loss,” he said.
When asked whether Cata was aware of Mandlevu’s law-enforcement employment, Sityebi said he only became aware of this via radio reports, adding that the taxi association’s member vetting process includes background checks on potential members’ previous employment.
Sityebi extended condolences to the family and friends of Mandlevu, labelling his death another mark on the taxi industry. “It’s sad and not something that our industry can be proud of – that we only ever appear in the media to give condolences, because one of our members has died,” he said.
He further called on the relevant governments departments to urgently intervene, stating that Cata is open to return to the negotiations with Codeta.
We want a resolution to this situation and see the end of our sour relationship with Codeta, Sityebi said.
This plea for peaceful dialogue comes amid mounting casualties in the taxi turf turmoil. Mandlevu’s death brings the recent violence toll to six fatalities and several injuries as the dispute around the four key routes to and from the Somerset West and Lwandle intensifies.
Since Monday 25 August, the bloodshed has already claimed the lives of taxi drivers Hilton Williams from Macassar and Mandla Sitshoni from Lwandle, as well as three others in Khayelitsha and Philippi-East.
The tensions and killings led to the temporary closure of the Somerset West Public Transport Interchange, and the Western Cape High Court granting the provincial Mobility Department an urgent interdict banning both associations from disrupting transport services on the four key routes. The court order is in place until Thursday 9 October.
The Mobility Department continued its request for renewed negotiations between the rival groups, calling on Cata and Codeta to place the safety of commuters first.
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