Taxi was sadly shot and killed after confronting suspected a thief who stole at his late mother’s home.
According to Daily Sun, Eastern Cape taxi boss Luvuyo Figlan (47) was gunned down on Sunday night 14 September, after confronting a man he suspected had stolen copper water pipes from his late mum’s home in Mdantsane NU9.
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The suspect was spotted by the man responsible for looking after the houses, who then informed Figlan.
It’s understood that after being told about the theft and the identity of the suspect, Figlan approached the suspect late on Sunday, but a scuffle broke out before the other man managed to grab his firearm and shot him.
Police spokeswoman Captain Hazel Mqala said investigations were continuing and no one had been arrested.
“The theft took place just after 9pm on Sunday. At approximately 9.25pm, while sleeping, the witness heard water flowing heavily from the back of the house.
“Upon checking, he noticed that copper pipes were stolen, and he saw the suspect, known to him, busy processing them in the yard.
“He immediately informed the deceased about the incident and who the suspect was,” said Mqala.
She said the deceased, who lived in Beacon Bay, came over and went with the witness to the suspect and confronted him.
“The suspect denied having stolen the copper pipes, and the deceased then dragged him towards his car, as he was planning to take him to a nearby police station, to report the alleged theft,” Mqala said.
She said as Figlan further questioned the suspect, while dragging him towards his vehicle, he pulled him closer to him and tried to headbutt him.
“The suspect then managed to grab the taxi boss’ firearm, which was on his waist, before allegedly shooting him once in his upper body.
“He then ran away with the firearm, while still pointing it at them. He fired more shots in the air while running,” she said.
Mqala said Figlan then got into his vehicle and chased the suspect, while the eyewitness chased on foot.
“He managed to bump the suspect with his vehicle, who fell but swiftly stood up and ran through a footpath and disappeared into the dark,” Mqala said.
She said when the witness arrived at Figlan’s vehicle, he found him slumped on the steering wheel.
“Figlan asked him to call an ambulance. The call to the ambulance hotline was not answered, so the witness ran to a nearby house to try to find help.”
“A vehicle arrived to transport Figlan to the hospital, but it was too late as they found him out of his car, lying on the ground, and already dead,” Mqala said.
She said a murder case was opened at the nearby NU12 Police Station.
Border Alliance Taxi Association head Gabs Mtshala said Figlan was a prominent member of the taxi association he leads.
He emphasised that his murder was not related to the violence in the province in recent years, which had resulted in the killing of many taxi bosses.
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Mtshala said Figlan was a member of the taxi association and owned a fleet of minibuses.
“It’s very sad to lose someone of his calibre, especially the way he met his death,” he said.
