Cape Town police say they foiled what could have been a deadly attack by arresting a group of hitmen in Bellville before they opened fire at the Nyanga Taxi Rank. Early on Monday, 22 September, law enforcement acting on intelligence carried out a raid and took eight men into custody — men believed to be part of the “izinkabi” group, heavily armed and allegedly bound for trouble.
During the operation at a Bellville flat, the Provincial Operational Coordinating Combat Team confiscated a large arsenal. Among the weapons found were six AK-47 rifles, eight 9mm pistols, and a significant stockpile of ammunition. None of the suspects could show legal permits for the firearms.
The arrested men are expected to appear before the Bellville Magistrates Court, charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. According to a police spokesman in the Western Cape, Colonel Andre Traut, the suspects are all adult males.
A source involved with the operation told Daily Sun that the attackers were intercepted just in the nick of time. The suspects were en route to the Nyanga Taxi Rank. Had they arrived, the source said, “there was going to be a bloodbath.”
Nyanga has long been a flashpoint in Cape Town’s taxi industry violence. Earlier this year, on 14 January, a shootout broke out at the same taxi rank between rival members of the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA). That clash resulted in one security guard’s death and injuries to seven people. Twenty firearms were also seized from that scene.
Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, the top policeman in the Western Cape, said that much of the violence in Nyanga is tied to money. He believes disputes over extortion, collection or “bucket” money are fueling tensions.
With this latest weapons haul and arrests, police say they well may have prevented an escalation of violence in Nyanga. The case underscores that, despite crackdowns, the underlying conflicts over money and power in the taxi industry remain unresolved. Law enforcement officials say they are pursuing investigations into how the weapons were procured, who was behind the mission, and how deep the connections are between the suspects and larger taxi-war networks.
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