Cape Town – Cape Town police have confirmed that the taxi owner gunned down in Lwandle near Strand on the morning of 5 September 2025 was a 42-year-old off-duty police officer who had been involved with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA).
According to Eyewitness News, SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed that the victim, identified as Constable Desmond Mandlevu, was driving along Mgidlana Street on Friday morning when unknown assailants opened fire.
He reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body before his vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a residential fence.
As reported by IOL, Mandlevu had been affiliated with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA), despite national regulations barring police officers from involvement in the taxi, alcohol, and security industries. Pojie added that no arrests have been made, and the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit has appealed to the public for information.
CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi stated that Mandlevu was a long-standing member of the association and had previously served as its secretary in Lwandle. Sityebi described his death as “a big loss” for both the organisation and the community.
As reported by News24, the killing is suspected to be linked to an ongoing route dispute between CATA and its rival, the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA), over access to the Khayelitsha–Somerset West corridor. The Western Cape Mobility Department confirmed that negotiations aimed at resolving the tensions have resumed after weeks of stalled talks.
The murder comes amid a surge in taxi violence across Cape Town.
More than 30 people have been killed in mass shootings over the past two months, many of which have been connected to taxi, gang, or extortion conflicts.
Just two weeks ago, five people were killed and nine others wounded in attacks at several taxi ranks, including those in Philippi East, Khayelitsha, and Macassar.
Authorities have called on commuters and residents to remain vigilant, with SAPS urging anyone with information about the Lwandle shooting to contact Captain Lukhanyo Magadla or use the anonymous Crime Stop and MySAPS platforms.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
