Three nabbed few minutes after taxi robbery

By Nomava Nobumba
02 February 2010


Three men were arrested for robbing taxi passengers of their belongings in Khayelitsha at the weekend.

It is alleged that eight passengers took a taxi from Nyanga terminus to Khayelitsha on Saturday night.

Police say one of the suspects inside the taxi moved towards the back part of the taxi and demanded money and cell phones whilst indicating that he will hurt the victims should they not meet his demands.

“The suspect never took out any form of weapon, but out of fear, all of the passengers adhered to his demands,” said Captain Anneke van der Vyfer.

Van der Vyfer adds as the taxi approached the Ikhwezi intersection on Lansdowne Road, direction Thembani, one of the passengers saw police members standing next to the road.

Police were busy conducting a road-block at that time.

The passenger opened the door of the taxi and leaped out of the moving vehicle whilst he called out to the police members to assist.

"The police immediately reacted and managed to bring the taxi to a halt and arrested three suspects, the driver of the taxi and two of his accomplices, aged between 30 and 48 years," said van der Vyfer.

The suspects appeared in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court this morning on a charge of robbery.