British doctor killed in South Africa after taking wrong turn on road
A British doctor is among five people killed in unrest in South Africa amidst violent taxi driver strikes.
The unnamed male doctor, 40, was on holiday with two of his relatives and is believed to have taken a wrong turn when he drove into Cape Town's Nyanga township close to the city's international airport on Thursday last week. The vehicle was then approached by a group before a gun was fired.
Ministry spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, confirmed today saying: "The doctor was driving with two other persons in the vehicle. From the airport, he apparently took a wrong turn off and headed towards Nyanga. A number of suspects approached his vehicle, shot and killed him. No arrests yet." Four other people have also been killed in the violence.
South African Police Service members rescue a man from angry taxi drivers during a riot near the Bloed Taxi Rank (AFP via Getty Images)The group of striking taxi drivers allegedly demanded that the doctor pay a toll but he refused. The taxi drivers became angry and then opened fire on him, Opera News reported. The British Foreign Office said it was "supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa" and issued a travel alert about the unrest.
The embassy urged people to "consider delaying their journey" due to the ongoing minicab taxi strikes in the Cape Town area. It continued: "These strikes have the potential to turn violent and may impact multiple areas including journeys to and from the airport. Check for any disruption on your route before travelling, avoid violent protests and try to stick to major routes. Be aware that GPS services could divert you into less secure areas or into ongoing protests."
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The week-long strike was called in response to what drivers said were "heavy-handed tactics" by law enforcement authorities who were impounding cars for minor offences. Drivers said they were prosecuted for not wearing a seatbelt and illegally driving in the emergency lane, but claimed others doing the same only faced fines.
On Tuesday, South Africa's transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga ordered the immediate release of the minibus taxis impounded by the City of Cape Town. She said the legislation used by the city had been "executed and implemented wrongly" and added that "it doesn't exist" under current laws.
The South African Ministry of Police said 120 people had been arrested since the strikes began and they were also reports of looting, stone throwing and arson. Nyanga is one of the most dangerous places in South Africa where 74 people are murdered every day.
"As a result of the strike, residents have been unable to get home to their families or to work, school, shops, clinics and other critical sites", Alan Winde, the premier of the Western Cape Province, which includes Cape Town, said in a statement on Monday. He continued: "Many government services, including health and social development, are having to close facilities and are unable to provide desperately needed services to our communities. Our schooling system is also being affected. This is not acceptable."
In the protests, four buses, four privately owned cars and two trucks were set alight, J. P. Smith, a member of Cape Town’s mayoral committee, said in a statement on Monday. While twenty-seven people were arrested in connection with blockading the N2 highway and another eight had been detained in the Mfuleni area, he said.
"It is clear that there has been a level of premeditation in the actions we’ve witnessed over the past few days, with our enforcement staff removing piles of rocks and tires along the N2 yesterday afternoon. There have also been clear attempts to target city staff and infrastructure", Smith said.
Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town's mayor, said violence would "never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic." He called on SANTACO [the taxi union] to return peacefully to the negotiation table.
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