Alleged Vhembe taxi hitman arrested

The arrest of an alleged dangerous suspect in the taxi-related killings around the Thohoyandou area has been hailed as a big breakthrough. The suspect, Simakahle Mzila Mchakeni (28), was arrested by a dedicated team of detectives last week in the Gauteng area.

Mchakeni is being linked to the murder of taxi owners William Nethononda (65) of Thohoyandou Block F and Nthambeleni Tshishonga (49) of Maniini. The two, who belonged to the Venda/Johannesburg Long Distance Taxi Association, were killed within a short space of each other in 2018.

Mchakeni appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was charged with two counts of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was denied bail and his case was postponed to 29 November 2019 for further investigations. He is also linked to two other murders in the Jeppe and Roodepoort area in Gauteng.

Mr Nethononda, of Block F in Thohoyandou, was gunned down at his gate just as he arrived from the nearby taxi rank in the morning of 11 July 2018. He was ambushed by unknown assailants driving off in a vehicle. He sustained several gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe said a manhunt for the remaining suspects is still underway and they are appealing to anyone with information that can lead to their apprehension to contact Captain Richard Boshomane at 079 894 5501 or the crime stop number 0860010111 or the nearest police station.

Meanwhile, the acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, has commended the team of detectives for cracking such a complex matter. “We hope that the deceased's families, relatives and members of the community in general will be relieved,” he said.

News - Date: 26 September 2019

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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