Nine suspects arrested for taxi owner's murder

By Rhodé Marshall
23 January 2008

Nyanga police have successfully arrested nine suspects who were allegedly involved in the murder of Crossroads taxi owner Thando Makanda.

Last week Makanda was found dead in his car in Brown’s Farm, Phillipi. It is believed the men left the scene in a white VW Polo.

“After an intensive investigation on the matter it was established that the Polo was hijacked at Gugulethu on 14 January. Two taxi owners were arrested and seven other suspects who are implicated in the commission of the crime,” says police spokesperson Elliot Siyangana.

One of the taxi owners that were arrested by police was driving his BMW – with parts of the vehicle believed to have been hijacked from another BMW at the Caltex garage in Luzuko.

“A cellphone which was left by the owner of the BMW during the hijacking process was also recovered in the suspects’ vehicle. (The) grey BMW vehicle that was hijacked from Luzuko was recovered last night,” says Siyangana.

The vehicle used as the escape car during the murder of the taxi owner was also recovered on Tuesday evening. The suspects were arrested in Nkanini, Kosovo, Brown’s Farm, Nyanga and Delft.

The suspects face charges on two counts of murder, attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and two counts of hijacking.

They are all due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate Court on Friday 25 January.