News24 | Argument over parking leaves taxi driver, taxi owner dead in North West

A police crime scene manager. (Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)

• A taxi owner and a taxi driver were killed in an alleged road rage incident in the North West.
• The men allegedly stabbed each other.
• An organisation called on taxi industry leadership to play a role in restoring calm.

An argument over a parking spot in the Mahikeng CBD in the North West turned violent over the weekend and claimed the lives of two men in their 30s, according to an organisation.

The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) said the altercation took place between a taxi owner and a taxi driver.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed the incident and said: "An investigation into the matter is under way and the motive is yet to be established, although it appears that the fight ensued following an argument [over] a parking [spot]."

He said police found one of the men on the ground, bleeding from the neck, when they arrived in Martin Street.

"The ambulance was called, but paramedics declared the man dead. It was further established that the other man, whose relatives transported him to hospital, also died," Mokgwabone added.

READ | Two die, 18 injured in Eastern Cape taxi violence

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Sello condemned the incident and urged members of the community "to always exercise patience and strive to resolve their differences peacefully rather than resorting to violence".

MRM also called on taxi industry leadership to play a role in restoring calm and "establishing an image of a peaceful and non-violent sector".

"MRM conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm, calling on police to investigate whether there had been simmering tensions as well as unresolved issues which could have sparked the violent incident," convenor of the MRM provincial interim committee, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, said.

He added that the industry must redouble efforts to rid itself of the culture of violence.

"We will therefore avail ourselves to partner with Santaco (South African National Taxi Council) to jointly lead a cleansing ceremony at the crime scene, prayer against the demonic spirit of violence, as well as the signing of a pledge committing to peaceful co-existence and non-violence among industry players," he said.